Magnificent Disasters
by cartapalo san
Summary: Fate brought them together, but fate can also separate them. She's a spy with things to deal with: her parents are in the hospital, her maid was killed in the disaster that set her house in ruins and now she's getting weird missions from her new maid and teacher. Then there's always Natsume. Slowly, Mikan unravels the mysteries, but can she maintain her life?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of the characters in the anime

**Please review**

**For later reference in the chapter: '-dono' is the ending for someone who has gained your respect; '-sama' is for those who are above you (considered royalty sort of); '-san' shows light companionship; '-chan' is for cute girls who you are close with.**

CHAPTER 1:

I walked to my father's office, gazing up at the gold palette that had IZUMI YUKIHARA inscribed elegantly into it. With a tender smile, I keeled open the door while knocking and peering into the grand room.

"Come in," he said.

I opened the door fully and skipped my way to his desk, letting myself fall into my favorite green, leather chair in his office. I waited for a moment as he finished sifting through his papers.

He looked up at me and grinned happily, pushing all his work aside. "Ah, Mikan."

I flashed him a smile. Some called me Mikan-dono, others Mikan-sama and a very few knew me as Mikan-san or Mikan-chan. Whatever they added onto the end of my name, I would always be Mikan Yukihara, only daughter of the two renowned spies Yuki and Izumi Yukihara – the latter being the principle of my 'Combat and Defense' school.

"So, Dad, what did you call me in for?" I asked.

He nodded and gazed out of the open windows on his right. "Well, tomorrow we'll have new spies in the business. I want you to greet them, okay? They'll be arriving at 8:30 AM."

I stared at him for a moment, shocked that he had finally hired new spies for his corporation. My father tended to be cautious and whenever he hired new employees, it was after years of consideration. After all, his business was one that required you to have trustworthy comrades.

"Sure," I said.

With that, I exited his office to allow him to work and walked down the halls to my room. Again, I pondered on who the new recruits could be and how good they were. To be scouted by my dad was a huge honor, one that most agents dreamed of. Then a thought struck me: why does he want me to greet them?

I came to my room and saw my maid and teacher sitting on my bed. They were idly chattering until I walked in. My maid, Alice, looked up at me and smiled as if she went in my room every day. The fact was, she had only been in my room twice, once when there was bad news and another when there was vital information to be passed on.

"What's up?" I asked, calmly walking to my bureau to pull my auburn hair into a ponytail.

"Get ready," she said, walking up behind me. "You have a mission."

I sighed and made my way to open the closet door. With a dlourish, I pushed them open and found the small section where I had all my gear. I picked a dark blue tank top with a black leather jacket and black shorts with black knee-high boots.

"Can you tell me what the mission is?" I asked her as I finished changing.

Alice handed me the necessary items for the mission. "You have to go undercover to capture a thief who might be hiding out."

For a moment I sighed, already foreseeing how easy this would be; but I did as told. I walked out of my room and went to the garage, hopping into my black Porsche. I quickly drove to the location finding that it was a mansion not that far from mine.

When I arrived, I parked the car around the corner and got out. I held up my gun and slid to the back of the house. When I gingerly pushed down ont the door, noticing that it was opened and not locked, I wanted to groan aloud as this person was obviously a moron. What thief didn't lock his doors?

I silently slipped inside and peered around the corner only to quickly hide myself inside the nearest door as a boy walked down the stairs.

"Just because I can't see you doesn't mean that I can't hear you!" he said, annoyed.

I stayed silent, and held my breath, cursing myself for thinking that this would be easy.

"Ruka, I know you're crumpling paper."

I slowly let out a sigh of relief as I realized he was talking on a blue-tooth. A part of me was almost disappointed that he hadn't seen me; it would've been a lot more fun.

He came to the door and turned away from it, stopping to stare at the partially opened door. With the silence of a mouse, I opened the door that I hid behind and encroached up to his back. When I had my gun pointed at his head and my body on guard, I felt secure enough to get this over with.

"Put your hands in the air and slowly turn around," I said coldly.

The boy froze. Then, he did just as told, cautiously putting his hands above his head and then proceeding to turn around. However, when I saw his face, I felt my spine prick. His smirk was amused. Considering this situation, I took that as a warning.

"What's so funny?" I asked, harshly poking him in the head with my readied gun.

His shocking, crimson eyes narrowed as he flipped his raven hair out of his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Guys you can find the outfits on my account**

**CHAPTER 2:**  
The boy before me stared at me for a moment, his crimson eyes gleaming in slight surprise and then he smirked as if he understood. What the hell?  
"Are you just going to stand there, Polka?" he spat.

I cocked a brow, wondering where he got 'Polka' from. I was wearing entirely black, after all.

As if he read my mind, he moved his eyes over to my chest. I catiously follwed his gaze, praying that this wasn't some kind of trick. After fully tilting my head down, I quickly glanced at my chest and back up at him. However, with a gasp, I realized what was polka-dotted: my bra.

I quickly pulled my shirt up and yelled furiously, "You damned pervert!"

He flinched, softly 'tch'ing in irk. Then, he sighed and ended his phone call. "If you're looking for the thief's hiding place, buzz off. He's my mission."

For a minute, I just stared at him, not registering what he had said. Then, once I finally had, I narrowed my eyes. No one had ever told me anything like this before. Not only was I shocked, but wary too.

I kept my face neutral and poked him threateningly in the head with my gun. "Who do you work for?"

He just stared at me as if he were looking at an idiot. I knew it was a long-shot to get him to tell me, but I wouldn't give my mission to someone from an enemy organization.

"What are you going to do with him?" I asked.

"Find out his hide-out."

I grinded down on my teeth to prevent myself from causing trouble. "What will you do with that information?"

He gruffly snorted, but complied with my question. "Tell it to my superiors. They'll probably kill order me to kill him after."

"Without-?"

"Yes," he said, his brows twitching. "Without gaining data."

I indecisively bit my lip. To trust him, or to not trust him? I wasn't technically supposed to trust anyone; but the way he had his arms crossed and his face scrunched up in discontent somehow convinced me into thinking that he was telling the truth. All he seemed to want to do was get this mission done and over with.

Even so, I was a spy and so was he. This was a business where you too extra precautions.

"I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone," I concluded.

He whirled on me, grabbing the shaft of my gun and pulling me closer to him. I pulled the trigger and the bullet whizzed just past his ear. He stumbled back, holding his ear as they rang from the sound. I pulled my arm back and roughly punched him in the stomach. He tried to maneuver away but I caught him and he doubled over in pain/

Bringing my lips near his able ear, I whispered seductively, "This is my mission."

Then, I gave him a sadistic wink and lightly crept up the stairs around the corner. There wasn't a single sound coming from within the mansion. I continued trying to find a lead to where this thief was and eventually found it: the bone-rattling sound of metal being clashed upon metal.

It was coming from the doorway that led to the basement. I silently creaked open the door and peered within the room only to find it a regular, quant library. However, the irritable sound continued resonating throughout the area but louder.

I pressed my ear against the walls and walked around the perimeter until I found where the sound was loudest. Then, I pulled back and searched for some hint of a secret entrance. I noticed how the shelves were covered in dust except for in a single spot where a book was.

"Seriously, this man is a complete idiot," I muttered beneath my breath as I reached for the book that was a secret lever.

"Not as much as you."

I spun around and dodged a blow meant for my shoulder and rolled to the ground and away from the crimson-eyed boy. He wasn't the same, knife that had been in the corridor, but a man who was completely and utterly pissed. Instead of feeling mesmerized by the gleam in his eyes, I almost flinched in trepidation.

"I applaud you for your stamina and defense," I said lowly with venom in my voice.

He didn't bother responding, instead lunging for me carelessly. I easily stepped to the side and caught his back between my elbow and knee.

"And here I thought you'd be a decent opponent." I sighed as he fell to the ground, coughing and gasping pathetically for air. "You're sloppy."

Suddenly, that infamous smirk of his reappeared. I jumped back as he lashed out expertly for my arm. I managed to escape from his grasp, but I soon realized that was his intention. He swung his leg around and caught my feet. I collapsed onto the ground. Through the curtain of my auburn bangs I could see him beginning to stalk towards me.

A plan formulated in my mind. I waited until he was a few feet away and then I used my hands to push myself over my body, completely a back walk-over and catching his chin with the heel of my foot.

He grunted and I heard him stumble back but not fall. As soon as I had found my footing he was on me, throwing punch and combo after kick and twist. I quickly discovered his routine and managed to land a deadly strike to his chest. He lost his breath and I took that time to grab the glue on the desk to my right and sprint to the book that acted as a lever. Within five seconds, I had glued to the book in place, not allowing entrance or exit.

I turned and kicked the boy in the face causing him to collapse to the ground. "You're good; trying to fake me into thinking you had a routine so I'd get cocky. The only error was that you kept your routine too long. I found it out and dealt with you before you could even think about switching."

He tried to bounce to his feet but I held him down.

Using the earpiece in my ear, I contacted Alice. "He's locked inside."

The other side crackled in silence for a moment before she spoke. "The police are on their way to capture him."

"Okay," I answered. "Tell them to look for the glued book in the library."

"Your parents are waiting."

I laughed lightly. "I'll be home in a bit."

"Mikan," she called as I began to end the call. "Did anyone interfere?"

I was silent, looking down at the boy who was withering beneath me, his eyes blazing in enmity.

"Eliminate him."

The call went dead and I flinched.

For a minute, I remained still over him.

"What's your name?" I asked in a detached manner.

He began to spit some nasty words at me but I twisted his arm back and began to slowly tear the muscles in his shoulder. He opened his mouth to yell but quickly shut it and clenched hi eyes.

"Listen," I said in the same manner. "You have two options: be killed by me here and now or tell me your name.

He was silent for a long time. I pulled harder, inwardly flinching at the sound of his muscles tearing.

"Natsume Hyugga," he growled. "My name is Natsume Hyuuga."

I got off him and ran to the door, only turning around to tell the poor lad, "Well Natsume Hyugga, I hope we never meet again."

He glared at me from his spot on the floor, holding his arm. "The feelings mutual."

With that, I left for home. I was home within minutes. After opening the door, I rushed to my room taking care that my parents didn't hear me. I got inside my room and took a shower, sliding into my tank top and track pants after. I then slipped into my comfy bed and fell asleep thinking of the boy who I had not only tortured but humiliated. I hated my job.

Next morning at five AM I woke up to my mom dragging me out of bed and pushing me into the tub. After yelling at her for getting my clothes wet and pushing her out of the bathroom door, I proceeded to quickly take a shower. When I got out I saw her laying out an outfit.  
"Mom? Why do I have to get up this early on a Saturday?" I asked grumpily.  
"You're meeting the new spies," she said cheerily with a clap of her hands.

I nodded after remembering what Dad had said. "But why at five in the morning?" I whined  
She sent me her warning gaze. "Because they just came from Hokkaido," she answered. Then she sat on my bed, looking out the window as I changed. "Tell me, how did the mission go?"

I bit my lip nervously. Mom was renowned as Japan's best spy and she never left a mission undone. I had left my mission to the cops and I knew she would be disappointed.  
"It went great!" I lied.

I smiled at myself in the reflection, laughing lightly as Mom pulled on my curls and made an envious face. She had wavy hair and despised it ever so. I sat down and my father walked in.  
"Mikan, I think you'll be glad to see these people," he said.  
"I better be if it means waking up at five in the morning for them," I mumbled.  
He just smiled his all-knowing smile and I groaned as the five figures walked in. My eyes widened in shock. It was them…they were here!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

I stood staring at the group, stunned to silence. Their faces had aged but their beaming smiles hadn't seemed to fade. Slowly but surely I began to register each face, unconsciously allowing my tender smile to grow by the moment.

It was them…it truly was. But how? They were all supposed to be in America which was almost fifteen hours away. The shoulder-length, black hair and cold, amethyst eyes…it could never be anyone else.

"You guys are here…" I finally managed to mutter. "How?"

My heart ached with memories of my childhood that had been tainted but not ruined due to this group. Every single one of them had saved me from completely falling into the abyss and then they had been taken away.

I had been left to wonder if I would blink and I'd be locked in the hole again. Sleep evaded me for days – more like I evaded sleep. I had never felt so lost and lonesome. These people were my family, and they had finally returned home.

"Mom," I started, tears streaming steadily down my blank face. "You lied."

"Sorry, sweaty. I had to; your father wanted it to be a surprise," my mother said nervously.

I slowly turned to face the group once again. Their smiles had diminished somewhat having seen my reaction. My heart suddenly fell and I began to yearn to see their happiness again.

I lunged towards the pink-cotton-haired girl on the end of the line and held her closely to my chest. "Anna!"

"Mikan," she said softly, nudging my neck with her nose. "We missed you so much!"

I pulled back and looked into her Carolina blue eyes that danced with tears. With a swipe of my hand, they were off her porcelain skin and she was grinning happily again.

Turning to the girl next to Anna I couldn't help but choke a bit on my words. "Nonoko."

We embraced tightly. I closed my eyes and inhaled her notorious, blue hair that smelt like a new perfume I would bet she made herself.

"We're home, Mikan," she whispered into my ear. She pulled out of our embrace and smiled cheerfully, her deep blue eyes squinting. "It's just like old times."

I whipped away my stray tear and nodded. "Just like old times…"

"What about me?"

Rolling my eyes I turned to the girl next to Nonoko. "What about you, Sumire?"

She stuck her nose into the air. "Guess I should just return to America; looks like I wouldn't be missed."

"Maybe you should," I replied.

We both looked at each other, not being able to keep the smiles off our faces. She gave me her rare, tender look and smothered me in a hug.

I almost coughed from the fumes of her hairspray but the scent was so nostalgic that I was able to keep it at bay. "You're not allowed to go back to America."

She pecked me on the cheek. "Like I ever would."

With one last squeeze, I backed away from her and watched as she narrowed her emerald eyes. "The competition begins tomorrow."

I scoffed and crossed my arms. "You know I'm better at living than you."

Before she could retort, a Carmen-haired girl stepped between us. "Alright you two; break it up now." She turned to me, her caramel eyes shining. "Big Sis Misaki needs some love too."

I jumped on her and squealed happily. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Misaki chuckled softly and caught my face between her two petite hands. "Look at how much you've grown. You're not my little Michi anymore."

"Forever and always." We laughed together.

"Still," Misaki said, "two years really do change a person…"

I turned to the final girl – the one who meant the world and more to me. She stared at me with her calculating eyes and her infamous, stoic face. She was back and we were together.

"Hotaru…"

I waited and waited, keeping my hands locked in front of my chest and my eyes unwavering. She continued to stare at me evenly.

Then, she said two words I never thought I'd hear her say: "Come here."

With an overbearing smile I ran into her outstretched arms and began to sob tears for the end of innocence, the beginning of Hell and the discovery and friendship.

Hotaru quietly ran her fingers through my hair, keeping her eyes open as mine were closed. I clutched onto her for dear life, pouring all of my emotions from the past few years into her so that she would feel that she hadn't missed a thing.

Once I felt her beginning to become stiff, I backed out of our embrace and rubbed away the tears. "Welcome home," I said with a smile. Turning to everyone I sniffled. "Welcome home, everyone."

They all flashed me their gorgeous, heartwarming smiles and Hotaru mumbled, "Moron." This was just like it had been two years ago. The idea touched my core.

"You five start school today with Mikan, okay?" Dad informed.

"Sure, Uncle Izumi," they all chorused.

We spent our time talking while Hotaru ate her crab legs eagerly. I thought, _Even though she's seventeen she never gets tired of it_. Soon enough it was 8:15 and we had to depart from the house. We walked to school and roamed the halls. Although it wasn't apart from the normal, we were getting a lot of attention.

Then, a brave soul approached our clique. "Are you new?" he asked, more specifically to Hotaru.

She continued staring out the hall window, completely ignoring him. The audience that we had obtained sympathized with the boy as he dejectedly walked away.

I called after him, "Sorry!" Then, I turned with my hands on my hips and looked at her.

"What?" she asked agitatedly.

I sighed. "You completely ignored him."

"Quiet," she ordered. When she saw me open my mouth she continued lowly, "I'll tell everyone in this school that you love to watch Dora in your PJs on Sundays."

I gasped in horrification. "You wouldn't."

"Oh, I think we all know she would, Mikan," Misaki muttered as she carefully backed away from Hotaru.

"If you do then I'll tell that guy with blonde hair and blue eyes that you like him," I threatened back, slowly inching towards the classroom he was in.

"As if," Hotaru simply said.

It had been a long time since we had last seen and spoken with one another. I was foolish and reckless in thinking that I could get away with blackmailing the Ice Queen. Even so, I didn't know better yet; so I did just as I had threatened.

"Excuse me, blonde-haired boy." He stared up at me with innocent, curious eyes. "My friend over here - her name's Hotaru - she's head over heels for you," I said.

His friend who was facing the opposite way tensed up a bit. The blonde looked at me for a minute and then looked at the girl I was speaking of. Then, he seemed to register everything and a blazing blush overtook his cheeks.

I heard the soft click of a familiar sound. For a moment, I dwelled on where it had come from.

"Mikan Yukihara…" came a venomous voice.

Then it all hit me. It wasn't…?

I turned around slowly with fear widened eyes. Indeed Hotaru had her Baka Gun set up on her shoulder, except it wasn't a gun but a cannon.

"H-…Hotaru…?" I squeaked.

Her bangs hid her face but I could see her hands shaking in anger. I was completely screwed.

Suddenly, she looked up at me with her cold eyes. "Die."

The gun began to fire shot after shot of the hands that I had learned to expertly avoid. However, like I said before, I wasn't accustomed to the girls being around again – not yet. I was rusty and maneuvering the bullets was an arduous task.

"Hotaru, let's be civilized, please."

She continued firing with a flame burning in her eyes. A bullet hit my shoulder and I lost my balance.

"Hotaru!"

Her eyes gleamed, having seen her chance, and just like that, what felt like a million baka-bullets pounded themselves against me, sending me flying. I landed on my butt.

"Ow, Hotaru!"

She was already over it, however, having gone and sat in her assigned seat.

"Are you okay?" the blonde asked my worriedly.

I sheepishly rubbed the back of my neck. "Ah, yeah I'm fine. I've been hit by that thing at least a billion times so…"

Opening my eyes I began to smile, only to feel sick to my stomach. Standing behind the blonde was Natsume Hyugga, the boy who I had been competing with for the mission just the other night.

His crimson eyes burned with a flame heated by animosity and his arm – the one I had mauled – was in a sling.

I slowly lifted my finger in horrification. "Y-Y-Y….You!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey I'm here with another chapter. Please review.**

Chapter 4:

"Y-Y-Y…You!"

What was he doing in my school? Sure it was a special school for spies but I never imagined he'd come here. Whenever I had imagined him since our altercation, I always pictured him being a bad guy – one who opposed my father and his allies work.

But now, here he was standing over me with deadly eyes. This could only mean one thing: I had seriously injured an ally. I felt horrible and brittle inside. He was a friend and I had treated him like a foe.

"Natsume…?"

He just stared at me.

I got up at looked at his arm feeling my eyes wither dolefully and my lips frown. "I am so sorry," I whispered.

Then, I walked away just as the bell rang. I sat down in my rightful seat and stared at my hands. Why was I always so careless? How could I do such a sin?

I closed my eyes and reinforced my will, arguing that if he was going to make fun of me again then he was wrong. How he acted from now on would determine who was truly right and who was wrong.

Hotaru, Misaki, Anna, Sumire and Nonoko all left the room to meet with our teacher, Narumi. After several minutes, he dramatically slammed open the door as per usual.

"Good morning wonderful students!" he exclaimed. "Today we have a lot of new students so please come in and introduce yourselves."

The door slid open and Hotaru came in followed by the others. They lined up and bowed one at a time.

"Hotaru Imai; seventeen years old."

Misaki bowed then bounced up on the soles of her feet and grinned brightly. "Hi! My name is Misaki Harada; also seventeen years old."

Sumire did a slight bow and cocked a hand on her hip, looking at her nails in boredom. "I'm Sumire Shouda and I'm seventeen."

Anna deeply bowed and shyly looked over the class, her blue eyes practically seeping with nerves. "M-My name is Anna Umenomiya…also seventeen." She bowed again and begged, "Please take care of me!"

Nonoko smiled at the cuteness of her greeting and did a bow. "And my name is Nonoko Ogasawara, seventeen years of age. Nice to meet you all."

Everyone welcomed the girls and they smiled and took their seats. There were several murmurs coming from our classmates. Some said how they thought Misaki and Sumire were hot and Anna was cute while Hotaru looked intimidating and Nonoko seemed nice.

I couldn't help but cheer for my friends happily, knowing they had made their first impressions just the way they had wanted to.

Narumi squirmed at the front of the room. "Amazing, girls, amazing!" Then, he clapped his hands getting down to business. "Well we also have other new students! Guys come in."

Six guys walked in, all extremely appealing. One among them was Hyuuga.

"Hey!" A boy with a blue star tattooed beneath his dark blue eyes chirped. "I'm Tsubasa Ando - eighteen years old." He smiled brightly and ruffled his navy hair.

"Sup; my name…" he trailed off as he started to laugh. "I'm sorry-I'm sorry I just couldn't do it. I'm Kokoro Yomi – but you can call me Koko - and I'm seventeen years old."

A boy that had dark brown hair that was merely a centimeter long face-palmed at the dirty-blondes antics. "Jesus…" he muttered. Then, he looked at the class with his dull, emerald eyes and casually said, "Hey my name is Kitsuneme - seventeen years old."

The next boy was fidgeting nervously. He pushed up his glasses and watched the ground with his wise, caramel eyes as he said, "Hi my name is Y-Yuu Tobita and I-I'm seventeen years old."

The blonde from before patted Yuu on his back to comfort him. Then he looked at the class and smiled cheerfully. "Hello, my name is Ruka Nogi and this is Natsume Hyugga. We're eighteen years old. Treat us well, please."

I watched the boys as they made their way to their seats. All – except Natsume – seemed normal and kind. I figured we'd get along fine.

All of a sudden my Bluetooth rang almost inaudibly. I pretended to push my hair back and clicked the button to allow me to answer the call. I heard Alice's voice frantically on the other line.

"Mikan!" she yelled over the ruckus in the background. "You have to get home right now!"

I got up, giving Narumi a glance while still holding my hair behind my ear. He only gave a slight nod and continued teaching. I briskly walked past the new boys.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly.

"You have a new mission," she said. A huge explosion was heard from the other line.

I froze. "You're not at the house…right?"

It was silent for a while. "Alice?"

"Just get home now; and don't bring any of those friends."

With that, the line went dead. I hadn't even managed to make it out the door yet. It was all crashing into me like waves. My house was in danger. My parents were at home. My parents were in danger.

"Shit!" I yelled and made a sprint for the door.

"Where are you going?" asked Hotaru.

I cursed to myself again, having forgotten that I was in the midst of my classmates. "Home," I said trying to regain my composure.

I reached for the door and was almost out when they stood up.

"We're coming with you!" Anna, Nonoko, Sumire and Misaki yelled.

"No!" I yelled impatiently. "I got this. Give me a call later and if I don't answer I'm busy as usual; Narumi, contact Mom and Dad. If they don't answer then give me a call."

This caught his attention. "Mikan?"

I exasperatedly glared at him. "I have to go!"

Tears began to prick my eyes. My parents could be in danger and if not then I knew for sure Alice was.

The tears confirmed his suspicions and his jaw hardened. "Take someone with you."

I grinded my teeth. There was no use arguing; besides, I knew I was too over my head.

Within a second I evaluated the class and knew who I needed there with me if I was going to rescue everyone. I might hate it, but a spy should be able to set aside their personal feelings to complete any mission.

His crimson eyes narrowed when I stared at him as if he were saying 'don't do it, don't do it'.

"Hyugga," I decided.

Alice told me not to bring my friends and he wasn't a friend. I ran out the class and jumped into my car with Hyugga begrudgingly following me.

"Why choose me, Polka?" he asked, sitting in the passenger seat.

"Because Alice told me not to bring a friend and you're not a friend," I simply replied. "Plus," I added, pretending to be invested in the act of speeding towards the billows of smoke in the distance. "I know you're skills and I know you're good."

I held my breath as we made our way to my house. Finally, we pulled on to my street. I didn't even wait for the car to stop before I jumped out and looked at the building before me. Without a second thought, I ran and pushed open the door, unwillingly taking in what was there.

**Suspenseful. Please, please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5:

Finally, we pulled on to my street. I didn't even wait for the car to stop before I jumped out and looked at the building before me. Without a second thought, I ran and pushed open the door, unwillingly taking in what was there.

"B-blood," I stuttered with Hyugga behind me.

The image of my house – one that was clean and tidy, that never had so much as a hair tainting the bash carpets – began to dissipate, being replaced by the horrid sight before me. There were puddles and splatters of blood remising on the rug.

My eyes teared in horrification upon seeing the kitchen up in flames. One of my favorite memories – one wherein Mom and I were baking peanut blossoms and Dad came marching in, trying to steal all of our cookies – seemed to go up in flames with the aqua kitchen tiles and newly added steel oven.

"Mom!" I screamed into the flames while desperately searching behind curtains and doors. "Dad!"

There was no reply, only the resonating sound of my pathetic voice carrying into the billows of smoke. I looked around hastily, feeling my mind become foggy and my vision begin to blur.

"Alice!" I found myself once again in the living room where Natsume had stayed with alert eyes. "Anyone!"

I took a step and heard a horrifying squish. My eyes slowly widened as my mind put two and two together. I reluctantly began to look down at my feet, quivering without any control and tears ruthlessly streaming down my haggard face.

My mouth opened and I began to screech uncontrollably. For some reason, I couldn't look away from the scene of my feet being immersed in the blood of one of my dear family members. I tried to cover my eyes with my hands but all I could see was my favorite converse shoes soaking up the thick liquid like a sponge.

"No, no, no, no!" I screamed hysterically. "God, please, no!"

I could feel myself breaking and falling apart. My knees buckled from beneath me and a wave of trepidation washed over me when I realized that soon not only would my converse be tainted, but my entire body too.

Suddenly an arm wrapped around my waist and hoisted me up and out of the puddle. Natsume dragged me out of the burning house and dropped me on my lawn.

Looking at my converse, I began to see the blood as a memento of whoever had been killed, leaving this behind. I began to soak my hands with the red, smiling madly with tears relentlessly pouring down my cheeks.

Then Natsume slapped me clear across the face. I stayed still, watching as my house burned down. Then, I stood and looked at him, raising my hand to slap him back when I saw the red.

I analyzed my hands, not daring to believe that one of my loved one's blood was dripping off them. How could I be so cruel as to relish in their blood? What was I? A monster?

Natsume slapped me again and this time, I realized what he was trying to do – bring me back to my senses. I instantly gained control of myself and pulled out my phone, feeling nothing as the blood smeared across the screen.

"Hello, Mikan," answered my uncle, Kazumi.

"Kazu, Mom and Dad are missing. I found blood on the floor and the house is in flames. I want answers; where are Mom and Dad?"I said mercilessly.

"Is Alice there?"he asked, his voice serious.

I could hear him readying himself to come here. "No; she's missing too. She called me to say I had an urgent mission and not to bring Hotaru and the others so I didn't and when I got home she wasn't here." I took a breath and heard my voice begin to quiver again. "Kazu, where are my parents?"

"I'll be there in five minutes; stay still," he said and hung up.

I dropped my phone onto the ground, emotionlessly staring at the house before me.

"It's burning," I noted.

Hyugga softly replied, "Hn."

"It hurts."

"Hn…"

I turned my head to look at him. "They may be dead."

He looked at me and remained silent. I needed some sort of outlet, something to keep me from exploding.

"Fight me. Hyugga,"I demanded.

Before he could reply, I threw a punch, not watching my footwork or calculating plans or anything. All I wanted was to make the pain inside go away.

"You could get hurt, Sakura," he rebutted as I threw another punch.

I didn't care and he knew that too. "How do you know my fake last name?"

"I know basically everything about you." he said.

Somehow, that one sentence tore through me. I tried to slam a kick to his face but he grabbed my leg. I fought to get myself loose but it was futile. He let go and I fell to the ground. I used that opportunity to land a kick on his legs and he fell down.I pinned him to the floor.

"I told you to fight me!" I screamed in frustration.

It was obvious how he was holding back. The thought bothered me even more so. How could he not fight me with all his strength and still overpower me? Before I had easily beaten him? Why? Why was my house burning? Where were my parents and Alice?

"You want a fight?" he asked his eyes turning sorrowful for a second.

"Yes," I answered.

We both got up andhe took off his sling. The fight started over again but this time he threw punches too and one just happened to land on my stomach. I fell back and he pinned me to the floor.

"Give up?"he asked.

"N-never," I managed to stutter out.

He stared at me with those crimson orbs of his and I seemed to be sucked into them. I began to realize that Hyugga wasn't as bad as I had originally thought. Sure, he could be insensitive, but then he was so observant and selfless. Like now for instance, he was fighting me even though he didn't want to; he was sacrificing his happiness for mine.

I pushed Hyugga off me and set my hands across my knees. He stayed beside me, watching my house crumble down with me.

"Hyugga?"

"Hm," he replied.

"Thank you," I said as I looked at him.

He turned to me and cocked a questioning brow.

I smiled softly. "You're not as bad as I had originally thought…"

Natsume scoffed softly and then turned back to the building.

Involuntary tears began to leak from my eyes again. My house was burning. Sure we could rebuild it but it was never going to be the same. All of those memories couldn't be held in each room anymore; they'd have to take refuge in our minds.

I feared that I would forget them. Despite being a spy, I had a short term memory. What if I never recalled the annual making of our peanut blossoms again? Mom and Dad would be sad; after all, parents were with you to make memories.

"Polka."

I whipped my tears and looked at him with a feigned strong smile. "Yeah?"

Natsume stared at me for a long time. Then he returned to looking at the house and said, "its okay."

I couldn't believe my ears. This boy had hated me a mere hour ago and now he was trying to awkwardly comfort me. Even so, it worked.

I lunged towards him and began to sob into his chest. "They may be dead," I cried. "I won't be able to hold all of the memories."

Natsume seemed stunned at first, but he quietly patted my back after a while. "We're not sure yet."

"I'm a horrible, horrible person."

"No-"

"Why?" I asked. "Where are they?"

"I know where."

I looked up at the new voice and jumped to my feet. His blonde hair that was identical to my dad's was caught in the wind, causing his emerald eyes to narrow in distaste as his locks slapped him across the face.

"Kazu!"

He glanced at the house behind us and then at Natsume and I. "Come on. I have spare clothes in the car."

"Kazu did you figure out where Mom and Dad are?" I asked as we walked to his SUV.

"Yeah, they're in the hospital," he said curtly.

I sighed in relief, feeling a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. "Alice?"

"She's dead."

I stopped in my tracks. "What?"I whispered.

The blood on my hands that also tainted my feet was Alice's. She had always been there for me and I had manically bathed in the blood that told her death.

"The A.A.O. was here," Kazu continued. "Your parents were protecting you."

I kept my emotions at bay and calmly asked, "Why?"

"The A.A.O. wants you, Mikan," my uncle revealed."Your parents fought them and were badly injured. Alice, however, died; she was shot in the head.

For a minute, I was silent. Then I asked, "Where are they?"

"They're in the hospital. You can't see them," Kazu said as he crawled into his car.

I figured it was because they were in critical condition and weren't allowed to have visitors. However, not being able to see them worked out just fine because I had something that I had to take care of.

I crawled into the back seat and scooted over to allow Natsume in. "The A.A.O. is probably having some kind of party to celebrate having taken down two of Japan's best spies, right?"

"Yeah," he said, his voice dripping in disgust. "They're having a huge, formal ball. Why?"

I scoffed. "Because I'm going."

"Mikan that's un-"

"I'm not a little kid. Plus I'll bring backup.I can have a different name and bring small weapons like guns and daggers."

"No." He shook his head sternly. "That's not-"

"She needs revenge," Hyugga commented offhandedly.

Kazu looked at Natsume for a whileand then he turned back around and began to drive. "We need a plan; you and Hyugga will act as husband and wife along with the others."

"Hn," Hyugga answered.

"Why do I need to be with him?"I whined.

"Mikan, he's the international spy from America,"my uncle replied. "You need the utmost protection and the only one I can truly trust is Hyugga."

My jaw dropped and I turned to Hyugga. Sure enough, he was victoriously smirking as if he had won the Olympics. I could even see the gleam in his eyes that bragged, 'who's on top now'?

"You can either go back to school or come to my house," my uncle continued on.

"That's fine," I said."I have some business to do. Just drop me off near the tennis courts coming up."

Kazu tilted his head to look at me through the rearview-mirror. "Where are you going?"

I looked out the window. "I still have a mission that I missed school for."

"Okay," he replied, pulling over to the curb. "Be careful."

I smiled and waved goodbye, taking the spare clothes with me as Hyugga and I stepped out.

"I thought Alice assigned you the mission," Hyugga said, watching my uncle depart.

"She did," I replied,"and I think I know what it was."

He looked at me and we started towards our school. "How?"

"I don't know – just a feeling."

Natsume scoffed. "You're going to go off a feeling?"

I nodded, dolefully staring at the school as it appeared. Then, as I always did before a mission, I began to pull my auburn hair into a ponytail.

"What do you think it is?" he asked, having seen my remorse.

I stayed quiet, but I knew - the mission was to execute Hotaru. Natsume hadn't seen it because he had stayed in the living room as I had ran amuck but there had been a message written in blood in my room.

'Kill Hotaru' is what it had said. But, why?

"Alice, I can't believe you."

**Did you guys like it? Please review if you did.**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

"Mikan!" someone yelled. "Mikan, wake up."

I turned around and groaned, opening one eye to see Misaki, Nonoko, Anna and Sumire over me with Hotaru off to the side, her phone in hand.

"What?" I asked while groggily rubbing the sleep from my amber eyes.

"We have a mission!" Anna squealed in exhilaration

"According to your uncle, the new boys will be tagging along. We're going to act as a group of newly weds and crash a party that the A.A.O. is hosting," explained Sumire.

I fell back into the comfort of my sheets, almost feeling disappointment as I already knew of this mission.

"You're paired with Natsume," Sumire continued and then grimaced. "I'm with Yuu Tobita - the nerd."

"I'm paired with the goofy boy, Koko," Anna said, shyly blushing at the thought.

Nonoko sighed heavily. "I'm with Kitsuneme."

"And I'm with Tsubasa," Misaki declared.

I turned to Hotaru but she kept quiet. That's when I knew who she was with and why she was silently brooding off to the side, angrily punching things into her phone.

"She's with Ruka," Misaki explained. I flinched and sent Hotaru an apologetic smile. She just glared at me and returned to sulking. "We leave in an hour so get ready."

"Okay."

I jumped out of my bed and began to shower. The entire time that the steaming water washed over my body, I couldn't help but worry about Hyuuga. Would he tell the others what happened yesterday? Would he warn Hotaru to stay away from me? I prepared myself for the worst and heaved a sigh. There was nothing that I could do except wait.

When I came back into my room, a formal, pink dress was laid out on my bed with accessories – one of which included a fake engagement ring. After hastily throwing everything on, I did my makeup, curled my hair - pulling up half of it - and opened the door.

Everyone was sitting in the hall across my room, all glamorous and permed. They looked stunning and due to the makeup, mature as well. We could all pass as being in our early twenties.

"Ready to go?" I asked as they all sat up and smiled.

They nodded. Hotaru eyed me in concern, having noticed that something was off as I refused to make eye contact with her.

We all walked down the stairs just as I heard a knock on the door. I sped ahead of the rest of the girls and opened the door. All of our 'significant others' were waiting outside my house, looking dashing in iron-pressed tuxedoes.

"Hey," Ruka, the forefront boy, greeted.

I smiled and stepped aside. "Come in."

They all poured into my uncle's hall and marveled at the grand chandelier and spotless floor.

"Everyone wait here for a minute," I said as I walked to the banister and opened the secret entrance that led to the weapon room. Once I had descended the stairs and opened the final door, I grabbed ten guns and two daggers that Kazu gave me yesterday along with twelve fake ID cards that said we were 22.

I walked back up the stairs, taking care to not trip over my dress. Eventually, I found the door that led me back into the hall where everyone was patiently waiting. One by one I handed out the fake IDs and weapons, although I kept the dagger to Hotaru and myself.

The last person I handed the equipment to was Hyuuga. He stared at me, waiting to see what I would say.

"You aren't going to tell anyone about what happened yesterday, right?" I asked quietly, fidgeting nervously with my fingers.

He looked at me for a minute and opened his mouth to reply when Tsubasa called, "Let's hit the road everyone."

Hyuuga glanced at me then walked out to his car. I followed behind him, watching as all of my friends got into the car that their 'husband' was in.

We all pulled out of Kazu's mansion and began our hour journey to the A.A.O.'s party.

Inside the car was silent. I waited for him to respond, picking up where we had left off.

"I won't tell," he said, not taking his eyes off the road.

I sighed in relief. "Thanks, Hyuuga. I owe you one."

He nodded but remained quiet. The car was silent again. I found the silence uncomfortable and for the first time since the day we had fought for my mission, I felt awkward and at a loss of words around him.

"So," I said stiffly. "What are our aliases?"

"I'm Noah Nagosha and you're my wife, Madilyn Nagosha," he said. "We met on a cruise to Bermuda – the boat's name was the Wave – and fell in love instantly. When we got back, we figured out that we both lived in New York and decided to meet at Cake Boss where we got one heart cupcake that we shared. After-"

"No, no, no," I said, shaking my head. "That won't do."

Hyuuga looked at me. "Why not?"

I shrugged. "This is my first marriage, Hyuuga, I'd like to decide how we met, when we shared our first kiss, how you proposed, etc."

He scoffed. "Do what ever you want, Polka."

I flushed sheepishly and softly punched his arm. "It's Mikan."

He ignored me and continued driving while I thought.

"Okay," I finally decided. "We met in the park after your husky, Moose, ran me over, having gotten too carried away with the game fetch."

"Or you got too distracted watching your golden retriever, Maxwell, poop."

I tightened my jaw and calmed myself down. "You walked over and helped me up, profusely apologizing. I saw how hot you were and said, 'The only way I'll ever forgive you is if you take me to eat'. So, you took-"

"You think I'm hot?"

I whirled around on him, blushing immensely. "Well…It's not…I just…It's all a fake background, Hyuuga. Don't get so cocky and worked up about it."

He smirked. "I'm not the one getting worked up about it."

I opened my mouth to yell at him but decided it was best to keep it together. "Anyway, you agreed and we went and had coffee in a small café near the Tower. You found me so refreshing from the usual fake hoes and asked me for a second date. I agreed, finding your charismatic and chivalrous personality quite attractive. So-"

"Wait," he said. "That's not like me at all."

"Of course not," I replied as if he were stupid. "We can't have similar personalities. It's like we're in a play: we have to act our roles." I playfully hugged his arm. "So make sure to play nice, Noah."

He growled but allowed me to continue.

"After several dates and an entire year and a half of dating, you asked me to meet you in the main square. When I got there, I saw that you were waiting by the fountain. When I approached you, however, someone pushed you in. I immediately ran to your aid and laughed at how pathetic you looked so you pulled me in too. You said that you had dropped something and wanted help looking for it. Little did I know that you had removed all the coins in the fountain and only hid the ring which I wear now."

Hyuuga glanced at my finger and remained quiet, silently absorbing my romantic tale.

"I found it, and instantly knew you were going to propose as when I turned around, you were on one knee. You can decide what mushy stuff you leaked but I of course sobbed and said yes and we got married in a quant church called Bastille with only a few guests and we honeymooned in Paris – the city of love."

Before I could go on, Hyuuga interjected, "Then we settled down in a small town off Tokyo. I became an engineer and you a secretary for the school systems. We make a decent income and are still deeply in love to this day."

For a minute, I was quiet, thinking of his finale versus mine…it was a lot better actually.

"Who knew Hyuuga could be such a romantic man?" I teased.

He sent me a glare and we continued driving, retaining our silence. But this time, I didn't feel awkward nor uncomfortable; only content.

We reached the hotel that we were to reside in for the night eventually. Everyone gradually pulled up behind us, tossing the worker their keys to park their cars.

Once everyone was there, Nonoko stepped forward. "So…what's the room situation?"

"We're supposed to share rooms," Misaki answered, looking at her phone.

"We'll share them with our 'counter-part' so that we can get our aliases set," Hotaru stated, silently declaring someone to argue.

I dumbly accepted the challenge. "No way! I am not sharing a room with Hyuuga."

"Shut up, idiot," was the only reply she needed to win the battle.

I dejectedly sighed. "B-But…I don't-"

Hotaru slapped her hand over my mouth before I could even prattle more implausible rebuttals.

I growled into her hand, telling her to get her germy hand off my lips. She merely smirked so I bit her hand. That was one of the dumbest moves I had ever made.

She pulled her hand away from my face and brought her gun out from her purse. "Mikan…"

"I'm out," I said, fleeing inside.

I turned to see whether she was giving to the chase but thankfully, Misaki and Sumire had managed to hold her back. As I looked ahead of me I ran straight into someone.

"I am so sorry," I apologized profusely as I took the hand that had extended towards me.

The man I had ran into smiled friendlily, his caramel eyes shrinking with the size of his grin. "Are you in a hurry?"

I sheepishly shook my head. "No, I was just excited is all."

He nodded in understanding, causing is light brown hair to shift. "I'm Shiki and you are..?"

I presented a gracious smile, quickly falling into character. "Madilyn Nagosha; pleased to meet your acquaintance."

Shiki quirked an impressed brow. "Are you married?"

"Yes," I replied, glancing out the lobby to add to the effect. "My husband is currently outside."

The man before me smirked. "Then he wouldn't mind if I borrowed you for a while, would he?"

Before I could protest, he was leading me with a strong grip towards a door at the side of the lobby. I tried to pull myself away from him but he only tightened his hold. I realized that he wasn't who he had let on to be – Shiki was an enemy.

"Shiki, release me," I said with power behind my voice.

He merely tugged me to his side to mask the threatening way he was holding me.

"Noah!" I called, beginning to panic. "Noah!"

Shiki couldn't allow me to shift enough to see Hyuuga. To my surprise, he never came. He allowed Shiki to carry me off.

Shiki aggressively threw me into the threshold and locked the door behind us. "How old did you say you were?"

"I believe I did not say," I replied, briskly brushing myself off. "I'm twenty-two." Then, I looked at him with hardened eyes. "How long have you been with the A.A.O.?"

"Five years." Suddenly, he gripped the front of my dress and smirked venomously in my face. "Stop lying; we both know who you really are, Mikan Yukihara."

I opened my mouth to deny everything but he threw me on the ground before I could. Several of the brooms and other cleaning instruments fell on me, causing my senses to become dull and discombobulated for a minute. The next thing I knew, he was out of the room and locking the door.

"Capture complete," I heard him murmur softly.

As soon as he walked away, I began to fiercely pound on the door. "Help! Someone help me!"

After several minutes of futilely attempting to be rescued, I sunk down to my knees. The room was cold, causing me to shiver. I watched the door, waiting for some miracle to happen; but I knew the only person who would open that door would be members of the A.A.O. How foolish could I be - trekking into enemy territory and recklessly separating from the group?

Soon, the cold got to me and I began to sneeze and cough hectically. My vision began to fade as fatigue washed over me. The last thing I could remember was the sound of my irregular breaths.

When I woke up, I was being carried by none other than Hyuuga. I faintly took note that we were making our way to a hotel room and his features were stiff and angered.

"Where were you?" I said hoarsely.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking down at me with concern.

"You didn't answer my question," I clutched onto his tie. "Where were you, Hyugga?"

He sighed. "Just go to sleep; we'll talk later."

I closed my eyes and fell asleep to the sound of his heart beating. His scent was soothing that it only took a matter of seconds.

Natsume POV:

I watched as Polka ran into the lobby, getting ready to pursue her when Hotaru stopped me.

"The mission still needs to be explained," she said. "Once you're debriefed you can go after her."

I nodded and listened as they described the details of the mission. In the middle of Nonoko's speech, I turned to check on Polka only to find her gone. She wasn't moronic enough to run out of sight – even I knew that.

For a minute I debated whether or not she would be in the room but she didn't know the number nor did she have the key. I quickly excused myself and ran into the lobby, searching high and low, asking anyone and everyone if they saw someone like her.

"Have you seen a girl of twenty-two, maybe looking younger? She had auburn hair and amber eyes and was wearing a pink, formal dress," I asked one person nearby.

He scrutinized me. "Are you Noah?"

"Yes," I said cautiously. "Why?"

His eyebrows went up and he immediately told me of how she had been calling my name while another man had dragged her off to the door behind the plants. "She had seemed fairly upset about the whole ordeal. The man came out a while ago but I don't think she's gotten out yet."

I thanked him and ran to the door, mentally kicking myself for being so invested in the conversation that I wasn't able to protect her. She was my partner and Kazumi had specifically chosen me to be her 'husband' so that I could keep her safe; he had even offered a great deal of money. Then, here I was, having lost her and was hectically trying to find her again.

I tried to open the door but it was locked so I threw a kick at the door and it opened to reveal a girl lying on the ground, unconscious and shivering.

"Mikan," I said, but she didn't move. "Idiot."

I quickly picked her up and began to go to our room to treat any wounds she may have gotten. Besides her obvious cold there was an angry, red mark of a hand on her upper arm. My anger flared as I saw her wound and I wanted to shoot myself as I realized that I had allowed this to happen.

"Where were you?"

I looked down to find her awake, but still quivering and drowsy.

"Are you okay?" I asked quietly.

She sleepily rubbed her eyes and looked up at me with her angelic face. "You didn't answer my question." She waited a beat and then grabbed my tie, her eyes showcasing my betrayal. "Where were you, Hyugga?"

"Just go to sleep; we'll talk later," I replied.

She laid her head on my chest and was soon asleep again. When we finally got up to our room, I set her down on the bed. I was about to leave to lay in wait for the people who were obviously supposed to pick her up when she grabbed my wrist.

When I looked back, I found she was awake again. This time though, her eyes were gathering water.

"Don't leave me; not again, Natsume."

Shocked that she had called me by my first name and by her current composure, I sat on the edge of the bed, quietly looking at her.

"I called you…but you never came. Where were you?" she asked.

I gathered my thoughts and replied, "I was talking with the others. When I noticed you were gone I looked for you and found a man who saw you put in that closet…I'm sorry," I muttered.

She shivered and wrapped the blankets tighter around herself. "It's cold, Natsume."

The way that she spoke with such vulnerability played across my heart's strings. I silently sat beside her, stroking her palm in comfort. I began to ask what happened to the girl, who yelled and clawed at me; the one who always seemed to hate me? I thought maybe, just maybe, her barrier had come down.

But that didn't mean that mine had.

**Please review if you liked this chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

I woke up and noticed Hyugga was sleeping on the bed beside me. Once I sat up, the covers fell to reveal the fancy dress I had put on specifically for the party. Panic washed over me as I realized we had missed it.

"Hyugga," I whispered softly while shaking him. "Hyugga."

He grumbled in response and rolled away from me.

"Wake up," I said.

Suddenly, there was a buzzing sound. I glanced at the bedside table and saw that it was Hyuuga's phone ringing. The caller was unknown, but I picked it up despite the warning signs.

"Hello?" I answered timidly.

"Who are you?" a woman on the other line demanded.

"Um…Madylin Nagosha," I said, using my alias.

"Well, Madylin Nagosha, give the phone to my Natsume-kun," she stated with irk.

"He's not an object; you don't own him," I replied angrily. "Who are you anyway?"

"Luna Koizumi, his girlfriend."

My heart stopped. "Girlfriend?"

She sighed in impatience. "Yes, and what are you to him?"

I didn't reply, nor did I hear her. I always assumed Natsume was single, what with his negative attitude and cold, aggravating personality. Even if girls still wanted him – because I will admit he was hot – then I always figured he would deny them, saying he was too good for them or didn't need them.

"Hello?" Luna called. "What are you to him?" She seemed tense and infuriated.

"A friend," I replied.

"Then give _my_ Natsume-kun his phone," she demanded.

I glanced at the boy by my side, peacefully sleeping. "He's asleep but I'll tell him to return your call."

I hung up and didn't bother waking up Hyugga. Instead I got my phone and called Hotaru, completely forgetting my previously assigned mission and merely seeking for some sort of distraction from this uncomfortable feeling.

"What, Moron?" she answered.

I tenderly smiled. "How'd you know it was me?"

She sighed. "Only a moron would call me this early in the morning."

I giggled, already feeling my discomfort diminishing. "Want to go to the beach?" I asked.

"I'll phone the others." She hung up.

I grabbed my beach bag and put on my swimsuit under a loose dress. Then, I made my way to Hotaru's room. When I knocked on the door I heard a gun shot.

I instantly became alert, pounding on the door until it caved in. I ran into the room, my only weapon being the plastic shovel I had packed in my bag.

"Hotaru, are you ok…" I trailed off as I realized that Hotaru had been the one to shoot her Baka Gun at poor Ruka.

"Hotaru, stop!" I yelled as she began to ready herself for another round.

She turned to look at me and briskly walked out the door. When I didn't follow she grabbed my arm and dragged me to the elevator.

"Why were you shooting at Ruka?" I asked exasperatedly in the elevator.

"That idiot was being an ass," she said angrily.

I shook my head and gave up on the topic. Then, a thought popped into my head. "How did the mission go yesterday?"

Hotaru glanced at me from the corner of her eyes. "The party was rescheduled for tonight for some unknown reason. We'll have to ready ourselves again."

We walked to her car in silence as we mulled over the possibilities of why it was canceled. I knew it was most likely because of the failure of capturing me, but I remained silent.

"Where are Anna, Nonoko and Misaki?" I asked as we began to pull out of the parking lot.

Hotaru shrugged. "They'll arrive there somehow."

When we got to the beach, I took off my dress and laid down on the blanket. Hotaru sat beneath the shade of the umbrella to my right, reading a book. After a few minutes, the three girls arrived. We greeted one another and Anna and Nonoko set up camp on either side of my towel.

We silently marveled at the beauty of the ocean as the sun caused the ripples of the waves in the ocean to sparkle glamorously. I could always rely on the warm, forgiving sand to sooth my worries and for the abrupt but caring waves to wash them away completely.

Anna glanced at me and pulled off her sunglasses. "What's wrong, Mikan?"

"Nothing," I replied. "Why do you ask?"

"You seem off…" Nonoko said. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing in particular," I responded, pulling my sunglasses up as I felt the familiar discomfort in my stomach.

Misaki crouched in front me and put her hand on my shin. "Mikan, you can talk to us," she said softly.

I looked at the three girls who were attentively watching me and then I galnced at Hotaru to see her eyes defocused on the book she was 'reading'. With a final nod, I sat up.

"To tell you the truth, I don't really know what's wrong," I confided softly, hugging my knees. "Hyuuga's girlfriend called this morning and after that I've just had a bad feeling in my stomach."

Everyone was silent then they all busted out laughing.

I looked at them in horrification. "Don't laugh! It's not funny; am I sick or something?"

Hotaru calmly closed her book. "What was her name?"

"She said it was Luna Koizumi," I replied.

"_Said_?" Hotaru asked, catching an error. "Wasn't there a caller ID?"

Thinking back to it, I realized that her number hadn't been registered in Natsume's phone. I shook my head and Hotaru reopened her book.

"It's obvious that she's lying if she isn't registered in his phone," she concluded.

I began to smile, feeling the aggravating feeling slowly fading.

Nonoko shook her head. "He's a spy; he may not register numbers in his phone…"

Then, the feeling came back full force. I swallowed thickly as my friends all glared at Nonoko, who guiltily bowed her head. She was right, though; I didn't have any of my closest friends or family members registered in my phone. Natsume's smart so neither would he.

"I'm going to the hospital," I said, gathering my belongings and standing up.

Apparently, this issue was too big of a problem for the sand to sooth and the ocean to cleanse. I needed something that had more of an impact; I needed my parents.

"Mikan, stay here," Anna begged. "I'm sure we can figure this out."

"Never mind that," Hotaru interjected, standing up. "Why are you going to the hospital?"

"I have a mission to execute," I lied easily.

"We can help," Nonoko offered, already standing up and readying herself for a departure.

"No," I said. "I'd like to do this on my own."

I bid them farewell, making a hasty exit. As I turned to look in front of me, I bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized, making a note in my mind to stop walking while looking the other way. This would be the second time in two days.

"What are you doing here, Polka?"

I looked up in shock to find a pair of cold, crimson eyes staring down at me.

"Hyugga," I sneered. Then, I realized I was being stupid. "I just came to see the beach. I'm tired now so I'll be heading back to the room."

With that, I briskly walked away, not giving him a chance to ask why I was at the beach so early, why I hadn't woken him up, but most of, I didn't give him the chance to ask why I was crying.

Natsume's POV: (Always do POV's like this: italicized and underlined with 'point of view' abbreviated to POV. It's a lot simpler.)

My eyes slowly greeted the bright sun of the world as I groaned and pulled myself out of the bed with a great effort. I turned to see if the little girl was still sleeping, only to find her spot vacant and cold.

I instantly contacted Ruka. "Have you seen Yukihara?"

Ruka softly 'hm'd. "She came to my room a few hours ago to get Imai to go to the beach with her."

"Okay," I said, getting ready to make my way to the beach.

"You're going, right?" Ruka asked.

"Hn."

I could hear his smile through the phone. "I'll come too."

We met up in the lobby a few minutes later and quickly made our way to the beach. I didn't know what was wrong with me; she was safe in the hands of the Ice Queen, I knew that very well. Even so, not being able to see her and confirm that she was safe made my stomach twist.

After a long drive, we finally arrived at the beach. I hopped out of the car, not waiting for Ruka to tag along. Within a few seconds, I spotted her and the girls as they sunbathed near the water's edge. She was standing, looking like she was about to leave.

I walked towards them, not wasting any time. She began to walk away from their camp, still facing the girls and waving with a forced smile. Something was off, I knew that much. Her jaw had never been so tight when she smiled.

As she turned around, she walked directly into my chest.

"Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly.

"What are you doing here, Polka?" I asked accusingly.

She looked up at me and narrowed her eyes. "Hyuuga," she sneered.

I took a step back, wondering what I had done wrong while I was sleeping. Obviously I was the reason for her tight jaw and overcast eyes; but I didn't understand how.

She seemed to realize her error and flashed a miniscule smile. "I just came to see the beach. I'm tired now so I'll be heading back to the room."

I just stood there, staring at her in utter astonishment as I witnessed a tear roll down her cheek. She ran away then, before I could swipe it away or question its meaning. I watched her back, feeling confused and unsure. What the hell had I done while sleeping? Honestly?

I decided it was best to ask her friends, who, based on their heated glares, knew what I had done. After waiting for Ruka to reach my side, I walked over to the group and stood in front of them.

It was silent for entire minutes as they stared and I waited.

"What?" I snapped as they continued glaring at me.

"Did you get a phone call this morning?" Hotaru asked with edge to her voice.

I narrowed my eyes and took out my phone, looking at my recent calls. To my surprise, Luna's number had called this morning and apparently I had answered.

Hotaru closed her book and stared me down. "Mikan said your girlfriend was doing well."

I almost choked on my saliva in shock.

Ruka laughed out loud in disbelief. "Luna? His-"

"Hyugga, I could kill you right now," Misaki growled.

I just glared at them.

Ruka stepped forward, calmly putting his hands up. "There seems to be a misunderstanding-"

Nonoko shook her head. "We understand perfectly; it's you two who don't understand anything."

Ruka's brows furrowed. "We never did anything wrong. If you'd just allow me to explain then-"

Misaki scoffed. "Oh, believe me, you did something wrong."

I silently stood, allowing Ruka to attempt to calm the situation down. I knew that if I spoke, the fire would blaze out of control. Even so, the urge to slap these women until they told me what had happened was overbearing.

"Then tell us," Ruka begged. "What did we do wrong?"

Hotaru stood. "Figure it out for yourself."

**Sorry for this being so short. I was busy. I'll make the next one longer. Please review**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

I rushed out of the elevator as soon as the doors showed a sliver of my floor. My tears couldn't seem to cease and it was driving me crazy. I never was a crier; I always had my emotions in check. But ever since that fateful day when Hyuuga and I were assigned the same mission…things had changed.

I pulled open the door and slammed it shut, throwing my beach ware on the ground and throwing myself on the bed in exhaustion. To my surprise, Natsume's scent and heat still lingered on the sheets. I curled myself up where he had been and gradually, the tears stopped.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Mikan Sakura?" asked a lady on the other line.

"Speaking," I said, rolling onto my back.

"Your mother and father are requesting you at the moment. They say that they need you to come right away."

With that, she hung up. I immediately changed and ran out the door. By the time I was on the sidewalk, getting ready to ask for my car, it hit me: I didn't bring a car; I had driven with Natsume.

I slapped myself in the face and groaned. How would I get there now?

Then, just like that, he drove up in front of me. He was always there when I needed him; it was like we were telepathically connected.

He rolled down the window, peering at me with his crimson eyes. "Need a ride?"

I opened the door and begrudgingly got in. "Stupid telepathy," I murmured while crossing my arms.

He casted me an 'are-you-high?' gaze but kept to himself. "Where are we going?"

"The hospital," I replied.

He nodded and pulled the car off the curb and began to drive to our destination.

It was silent for a while until I said, "Thank you, Hyugga."

He was quiet. "I'll need something in return."

I stared at him in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"I'll need something in return," he repeated blankly.

My temper flared uncontrollably. "Who the hell do you think you are, Hyuuga? You just go around, acting kind and then when they're in too deep you don't throw them a line; you tease them with it right over their heads. God, someone save his soul!"

"Hey-"

"I mean, if you could only act considerate and not selfish for one minute, it would be a miracle. Why is it so hard to think of others over yourself?" I yelled. "You're so conceited and arrogant and selfish – I can barely believe you have any friends. I wouldn't be surprised if your family disowned you because if I was you mom, I'd be so disappointed that-"

"Hey!" he yelled, glaring at me.

I immediately shut up and looked down at my hands clasped in my lap. His anger emitted all the way to me, causing me to quiver. I had taken things too far; all he was asking for was an equivalent exchange – it was something that everyone had a right to.

"I-I…I'm sorry," I muttered dejectedly, expecting the worse.

He sighed. "Why are you so pissed at me?"

I looked out the window, deciding that he - at least - deserved to be told the truth after my freak-out. Taking a deep breath, I regained my control.

"I'm not really sure, Hyuuga." He glanced at me with a cocked brow. "After I talked to your girlfriend I just felt sour and horrible."

He was silent for a long time, thinking of what I said. "She's not my girlfriend."

I stared at him. "She said she was; Luna Koizumi, right?"

Natsume shook his head. "She's not my girlfriend."

I sat there, not believing him in the least. How would a stranger know his name and number? It was obvious that he was lying.

We pulled into the parking lot of the hospital. I quickly got out, slapping my cheeks twice to get rid of my haggard face. Then, I ran into the hospital.

"Um, excuse me, Miss," called the lady at the check in as I tried to skip past her.

"Mikan Sakura; here to see the Izumi and Yuka Sakura."

She nodded. "They're in room 112, right at the end of the hall."

I called out a 'thank you' and ran to the designated room, throwing open the door. Mom was lying on the bed, dressed in a hospital gown. Dad was sitting by her side in a wheelchair.

They turned to look at me. "Mikan!" they exclaimed in unison.

"Mom, Dad!" I called in utter happiness.

I ran over to them and gingerly embraced their fragile frames. They had stitches in several places and myriads of bruises dotting their pale skin. Even so, they seemed as healthy as ever and it made me relieved.

"Who's this, sweetie?"

I turned around and saw Hyuuga standing in the doorway, awkwardly shifting from side to side.

"This is Natsume Hyugga, my husband for a mission," I introduced.

"Husband!" Dad yelled.

We all flinched. "Only for a mission, Dad. Don't over exaggerate this, please."

"What's the mission?" Mom inquired.

I bit my lip, knowing that they wouldn't approve. To lie or not to lie, that was the question. But I knew I couldn't do either.

"It's top secret," I explained. Their faces hardened. "When will Youichi get here?" I asked in an attempt to divert their attention.

"He's still in France for that mission with Ichigo," Mom replied, taking pity on me and allowing me to slide by.

"Oh, okay," I said, feeling a bit disappointed.

We chatted for a long time. I told them about the house and Alice and how I was staying with Kazu for the time. They told me how it was a sudden attack, there wasn't much time to breathe, let alone think. We traded information and quietly absorbed everything, filing it all into one folder: A.A.O.

After an hour, I stood. "Well, we better get going."

"Wait," Mom called. "Go home first. There's something left for you."

"But the house is gone."

Mom sighed. "We know. Just go."

"What is it?" I asked, intrigued.

Dad smiled tenderly. "Something you'll like."

With that, Hyuuga and I left the room and walked to his car. He was silent as I thought of the time I had spent with my parents. It was wonderful to see them safe and content. I was also thankful that Hyuuga was being so considerate, not hounding me about Luna and instead, allowing me to focus on my family and the mission.

Once we got to the car, we began our drive to my house. As I noticed familiar surroundings, I began to dread seeing the house I loved so dearly in ashes. They had put caution tape around our land and said that they were going to clear everything out by next Monday. My family and I were invited to watch, but I knew I wouldn't be able to see or think of it for that matter.

Finally, we reached the deserted area. Where my grand house had stood before was a black frame with ashes decorating the once ornate lawn. I took a deep breath and got out of the car. Stepping beneath the tape and not looking down as my new converse were sullied with the black chalk.

I reached the front of the house and looked up at it. People could see inside of it as it was only a frame. The windows, walls and floors had all fallen apart or been torn down for safety precautions.

Instead of opening the unrecognizable door, I decided to walk around and through the frame that should have supported my family room. When I looked around, I saw a box in the middle of the floor. I slowly made my way towards it, admiring the bright blue, shiny wrapping paper with sea foam green swirls. They were my two favorite colors.

After much thought, I carefully took off the wrapping paper and opened the box. Inside was a deep, blue dress with a navy blue, diamond belt. Beneath the glamorous dress were sterling silver accessories that matched the blue perfectly.

I closed the box after placing everything back inside and held it tightly to my chest. Hyuuga stood behind me, waiting patiently for me to finish.

"Let's go back to the hotel," I said as I walked back to the car. "I'd like to get ready for our party tonight."

He didn't say anything but followed loyally behind me. The car ride back was silent. I studied the accessories and dress for a long time, taking care to memorize every detail. It was a present from my beloved parents after all.

We reached the hotel within an hour. Once we were in the room I immediately holed myself up in the bathroom. With extra care, I did my make up and hair. Then, I slid the dress on and clasped the bracelet, earrings and necklace so that my makeover was complete.

I stepped out of the bathroom to find Hyuuga dressed in his tuxedo again and playing on his phone.

"Let's go," I said, turning away from him.

I didn't want to talk to him; I felt betrayed, angry and sad. All I desired was a quick escape, even though I knew he would interrogate me in the car. He had been considerate enough – giving me time to think about the current dilemmas. But he was at his limit of waiting.

Before I could get to the door, I was pushed back and pinned to the wall with my hands over my head.

"Listen to me, Yukihara," he said in a strained voice. His jaw was tight and his eyes were blazing in aggravation. "She's not my girlfriend; she's not even a friend. I don't know who the hell she is."

I wanted to be angry – infuriated. But I couldn't. All I could feel was the uncomfortable feeling that had once again settled in my stomach; all I could do was look at him with doleful eyes.

"Then why did she say she was?"

He flinched and loosened his suffocating hold on me. "She's a stalker."

I pulled my hands out of his grip. "Being a spy and having a stalker isn't safe."

Natsume stepped back. "I know, okay? I know."

"Then why is she calling?" I asked. "Why is she claiming to be your girlfriend?"

"I'll take care of it," he said. "Okay?"

I bit my lip and nodded. If he said he would handle it, I knew he would; and he would do a fine job of it too.

He sighed. "You're not okay."

I stared at him, watching his unwavering eyes that softened to sooth my hectic heart.

"You're right," I said quietly. "The mission Alice was going to give me was to execute Hotaru."

He nodded. "I know."

"She's my best friend, Natsume. I can't kill her."

"Then don't," he said. "Alice is dead; the mission is expired."

I shook my head. "I have a feeling Alice isn't dead." I looked at him with teary, distressed eyes. "She had a dark secret that she hid, Hyuuga. I was just a pawn in her chess game."

Natsume's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

I whipped a shaky hand over my mouth, feeling sick to my stomach as I prepared myself to share this untold secret. "I was forced to kill innocent people without the consent of my parents or my friends," I whispered in horrification. "I never knew at the time, but I finally realize it now."

I looked at him as his body tensed.

"It wasn't easy killing them; they fought a lot." I choked on my words as I recalled the horrible memories. "They begged, saying their daughters were waiting for them at home…they never got to say goodbye." I shook my head in disgust. "I was never a cold-hearted killer; but Alice morphed me into one. Soon, I didn't care about their families or their pain. All I cared about was the completion of the mission."

The room was silent and tense as he just stared at me. His eyes said nothing, his face revealed no emotions – he was locked up inside of himself, unsure of how to react.

"Let's go. We're supposed to be at the party in an hour."

He didn't respond but followed behind me. We got into the car and drove off to Nagoya, retaining our silence. Fortunately, we got there just in the nick of time.

Hyuuga stepped out of the car, walked around and opened my door, offering me his hand and a tender smile. I fell into character too, looking up at him with soft, melted eyes and linking arms with him, bringing his muscular structure closer to my petite frame.

We walked up the stairs, gazing at one another and making light conversation, throwing in a few giggles and smirks.

"Name?" the guy at the podium asked.

Natsume stepped forward. "Noah and Madilyn Nagosha."

He smiled after finding our names and waved us in. "Enjoy."

As soon as we stepped inside, the classical music drifting to my ears in delight, I saw Shiki talking to someone. I quickly changed our path to be as far away from him as possible, making sure he couldn't see my face even if he tried. Natsume looked at me curiously.

"Shiki," I whispered, making it appear seductively.

I casually glanced over my shoulder to look around and found that Shiki now had his glaring eyes on me. I instantly began to pick up my pace, maneuvering expertly through the crowd.

He excused himself from his prior conversation and dutifully followed me. I noticed it was pointless and decided to stop running, taking refuge in the center of the crowd. He wouldn't pull anything with Natsume at hand and witnesses all around.

"Ms. Nagosha, what a surprise to see you here," he said, taking my hand and kissing it once he had caught up.

Natsume, fully in character, pulled me away. "I'm Noah Nagosha, her husband," he introduced, presenting his hand and a well-hidden threat.

Shiki smirked elegantly and shook his hand firmly. "Shiki; Madilyn has been my friend for the longest of times. I do apologize if you felt uncomfortable with my action."

Hyuuga nodded and showcased a dazzling smile, pretending to accept his 'sincerest' apology.

"You wouldn't mind if I took her for a second, would you?" he asked politely.

Before Natsume could even answer I stepped forward. "Actually, Noah can be quiet protective; I think it'd be best if we stayed near him." I laughed lightly, as if it were a tease.

Natsume nodded. "Sorry, Shiki. Madylin is the love of my life." He looked down at me and captured my hands. "I'd never let her out of my sight."

Shiki's brow twitched. "Of course; I apologize for the intrusion." Then, he bowed slightly and said, "It was nice to see you again, Madilyn."

I graciously curtsied and he left, quickly making his way out of the ballroom.

"He's getting reinforcements for sure," I said. "We need to get this mission over with – quickly."

Hyuuga nodded and dragged me onto the dance floor where people were doing a waltz. We began to dance, acting in love and overjoyed to be here. He dipped me and I outstretched my hand. After feeling a bump against my hand, he pulled me back up and I wrapped my arms around his neck, subtly glancing at the note Hotaru had placed in my palm.

_We need to talk._

I looked at Hyuuga. "I'm having a lovely time," I said.

Then, I leaned forward and kissed him softly on the cheek, slipping my hand into his and passing on the letter.

Despite it all being a part of the act, my heart jumped and my stomach churned. Just the bold act alone was enough to make me blush.

When I pulled back, he smirked. Then, I saw his eyes quickly focus on something else and return to me. He had read the letter and it hadn't settled well in his mind.

"I think we should get something to drink," he offered. "Don't you?"

I nodded and we began to make our way to the stand when suddenly, the crowd split us apart. The next thing I knew, I was dancing with Shiki.

"Shiki," I said, offering a tense smile. "What a pleasure to dance with you."

He just glared at me. Then, he was dragging me off to the other room. I couldn't fight back or make a scene as it would reveal my comrades when they came to help. Therefore, the mission would be a failure.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Hyuuga frantically looking through the crowd to find me. I thought, _At least he noticed I was gone this time._

Suddenly, a cloth was placed over my mouth as we slid into the other room.

I instantly reacted, already smelling the toxic fumes. I elbowed him harshly in the ribs, turned around and kicked him in the crotch. He recoiled but quickly found his breath again, glaring harshly at me.

I took out the dagger that I had tied to my calf and launched myself at Shiki. However, he quickly bent my hand, making me release the dagger which he caught. I tried to back away but he had a hold on my wrist.

He smirked deviously. "Goodbye, Madylin."

Shiki took the dagger and plunged it into my side. Then, there was a shot and Shiki's blood splattered on me. I collapsed to the ground beside Shiki who laid there, dead.

I weakly tried to breath, gasping in agony and having to clasp my eyes shut as the involuntary tears were invoked. A figure that appeared blurry lifted my upper-body off the ground.

"Mikan," Hyuuga called. He began to press on my wound. "Mikan, stay with me here."

I was trying – I truly was. But my eye lids were as heavy as lead and breathing continued to grow harder and harder by the second. Soon, the pain had edged away. The only thing I could focus on was breathing.

"We have an emergency," I heard Hotaru say. "My friend has been stabbed in the lower torso. She can't open her eyes and is struggling to breath."

"Oh my God!" Misaki screeched in horrification. "Mikan! Oh, God, please. Mikan, stay with us, okay?"

I knew that everyone was here now. The presence of Anna, Misaki and Nonoko were strong as they held onto me desperately. Hyuuga had pressed some sort of cloth against my wound now. I think it helped the bleeding more, but still not enough.

"I'm sorry," he repeated almost inaudibly. "I'm sorry."

"Dangerous," I wheezed. "Get out."

Everyone went wild upon hearing my words but Hotaru silenced them all.

"What?"

"Dangerous," I said again. My eyes clutched tightly as I felt the pain travel up my spine. It was getting to the point where it was unbearable. I could feel my consciousness edging away. _Someone,_ I prayed silently, _save me_. "Get out."

With that, I lost consciousness.

The next morning, when I woke up, everything was white. I realized I was in the hospital. When I tried to sit up, however, someone pushed me down.

I tried to speak only to find a tube down my throat.

When I glanced over, I found Hotaru calmly sitting by my side. "Mikan, we need to talk."

I looked at her serious, cold eyes. Something was terribly wrong. I had thought that it was about the mission, but this seemed to be something different. My mind knew what she wanted to discuss, but my body wouldn't accept it.

"The mission you got on the first day of school…" she trailed off, preparing herself.

"Was it…" she swallowed thickly and looked me in the eye. "Was it to kill me?"

**That's all for now. Hope you guys liked it. If you have any suggestions please tell me in private message. Please review.**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Hotaru's POV:

The hospital curtains lifted in the air as the wind from outside swept across the stale room. I watched as Mikan shivered on her bed, pulling the covers up over her shoulders. I almost laughed at how ironic it seemed to be – how it was cold in the outer world but it could never compare to the ice inside my body now.

"The mission on the first day of school," I said to Mikan, remembering how she had bolted out of the room, picking Hyuuga instead of someone from our group. "What was that about?"

Mikan kept quiet for a second, and then asked, "The mission?"

"Yeah." I wanted to roll my eyes; what else could it be about? "Now tell me: what happened?"

She bit her lip and remained silent as she mulled it over. Then, stared at me with her innocent, truthful eyes that seemed to swim with emotions. I held her gaze, daring her to continue.

Mikan broke my gaze and shifted her eyes down to the floor in uncertainty and worry. "The mission was about you."

I held my face together, calmly raising a brow in interest and curiosity to urge her on. However, it felt like a dam had broken down in my head and I was starting to drown with questions. Who had done this? Why? What was the mission…? I crossed my arms and glared harshly at the pillow behind Mikan's head, observing the way that her auburn hair feathered out in swirls like a design.

After a while of retaining our silence I spoke, prodding expectantly, "Go on."

She took a deep breath, averting her eyes and watching solemnly as the curtains rose and fell. Finally, she turned to look at me with a face void of emotions and said, "It was to execute you."

I felt a force hit my chest and I stumbled back from the impact, gasping for air in desperation as my lungs collapsed. I could practically see myself slowly sinking to the bottom of the lake of my questions. I slowly began to lose sight of Mikan, the sun blazing above the rough waters. My hands reached out to try to swim to the top but it was futile. All I could see and hear was my screams muffled by the heavy liquid.

"…Hotaru?...Hotaru…? Hotaru?" Mikan had stood up and was holding onto my shoulders, staring at me in concern. "Alice, the one who assigned it to me, is dead, Hotaru. I don't have to do it."

I took a deep breath, marveling at how two sentences could lead me back to Earth, safe and well.

After a minute of regaining my composure, I looked up at her and asked calmly, "Why was the mission given to you?"

"Well…I only think that was the mission," she said, trepidation lingering in her eyes.

I nodded, showing her I understood. Despite everything, I needed to maintain my composure. I never wanted to scare Mikan. Once my thoughts became lucid, I began to see rationally again and realized that she would never kill me. Then, a question formed in my head: who was Alice?

I shook my head; there was a time and a place for everything. "Why do you think that was the mission?" I asked.

Mikan settled down on the bed again. "Well, the way Alice looked at you. She acted like you were her mortal enemy and she glared at you all the time. I knew something was up when she called me; her voice wasn't as smooth as it usually was, but it quivered like she needed to let the secret out right then and there," she explained.

Again, I thought of that one question. "Who is Alice?"

Mikan smiled softly, glad to momentarily be off the serious topic. "She was my family's maid."

I narrowed my eyes, dubious of her story. "And she glared at me?"

"Yeah, but it was hard to see since she would fake a smile." Mikan replied, lying on the bed.

"Lets not talk about it," I said, shaking my head. "We have to finish the mission…assuming your stab wound would allow it."

Her eyes beamed brightly in excitement and she put her arms up to the sky saying, "Yes!" Then she winced in pain, slowly lowering her arms and laughing sheepishly.

I dropped the pile of clothes that I had brought for her onto the bed and turned around. "Get changed, idiot. We're going for a ride."

Mikan perked up behind me. "Oh? Where to?"

I rolled my eyes, reverting back to my renowned title 'Ice Queen'. "Headquarters."

Mikan's POV:

After two hours, Hotaru and I were back in my house where the gang stood with my uncle.

I smiled. "Kazu."

"Mikan?" he replied in confusion. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in the hospital wresting."

I shrugged and sat on the sofa across from everyone. "The mission..."

They all waited patiently for me to continue. When I didn't, Kazu prompted, "Yeah?"

"The dagger…"

Again, they waited and again, he asked, "Yeah?"

"The dagger…was a flop!" I yelled in disbelief.

"I-Impossible. It couldn't have been a flop," stammered Kazu.

"They were about to stab me when the knife slipped from their hand. There was a certain amount of force to it but not much. All I have is a small cut that goes two inches deep." I shook my head and sighed. "Anyway, why did you call us here, Kazu?"

He grinned. "You'll see."

I leaned back against the couch, crossing my arms and sticking out my tongue in irk. Suddenly, the entire couch fell backwards. For a minute, I scrambled to stay upright, but it was no use. I fell back along with the couch and hit the wall.

I rubbed my head and grew red. "Kazu, you damn excuse for an uncle!"

Misaki, Anna and Nonoko came to my side and helped me up, all attempting to conceal their amused smirks. When I sat up, I found Hotaru staring brightly at her camera while Sumire laughed her head off. All of the boys stood there, shocked and not understanding what had just happened.

"You do realize," I started grimly, "that I just got out of the hospital, right?"

"Yup," he said, popping the 'p'.

"Then why?" I yelled furiously.

"That, my dear, is a trap for the A.A.O. They know that you live here and are most likely planning to use that knowledge to their advantage. So, from now on, you'll be living with me."

I shook my head. "No, that's too simple. I have to go somewhere. I'll be back late," I said leaving.

"Are you going to the hospital?"

"Yeah. I'll need the Porsche for this though; I'm visiting Mina."

Kazu's eyes widened. "Mina? The traitor?"

I cringed softly. "Yeah, that Mina."

But Mina wasn't a traitor; she was forced to go against us and now she held that name. Mina told me the truth, about how it was the A.A.O.

I closed the door shut behind me before anyone could utter a retort and ran for the car. I jumped in and quickly pulled out, waving sweetly as Kazu opened the door and yelled, "Don't you dare!"

As soon as I had pulled onto the main road, I noticed someone was following me. I stepped fully on the gas and maneuvered through the traffic, making sharp turns every chance I could to throw them off. Within a minute, they were gone, and I was off to the hospital again.

I parked the car and got out, pulling my shades on my head. I walked into the hospital and went to check in when I suddenly felt someone's hand brush past my hip. I grabbed it and turned around, ready for a fight, only to find Hyugga standing there.

"Hyugga!"I yelled, shocked. "What are you doing here?"

"Let go of my hand first," he snapped back.

I let go and crossed my arms across my chest. "Did Kazu make you come?" I asked, already thinking of how I was going to kill him.

"Yeah."

I thought for a moment then asked, "Was that you who was following me then?"

He nodded, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking the other way.

"I thought I lost you…"

He chuckled. "With that weak attempt? No."

I sighed and turned away from him, ignoring as he followed. We walked to my parent's room and when I peered in, I could see them trying to walk and regain their balance. I cracked open the door and smiled.

"Mikan!" Mom exclaimed as she hugged me. I hugged her back as she asked, "So what brings you here?"

"Mom, it's about Mina. Will you listen? Dad you too?" I asked. Mom bit her lip and looked over at my dad. I looked at Hyugga who shrugged.

Dad thinned his lips and then smiled gently. "Sure. We'll listen; but you know, Mikan, we already told you not to go near her anymore."

I nodded "I know but there's something that you should know." I took a deep breath and revealed the secret she had begged me to keep. "Mina wasn't a traitor; she was forced to kill Ikuto. The A.A.O. said if she didn't they would kill her family. They blackmailed and used her."

"We don't have any proof of that, Mikan," Mom stated harshly.

"You have to believe her. Mina and I have been friends since we were born. Come on, she's basically your daughter!" I argued.

"Mikan, we know that, but for all we know she could be lying to you," Dad reasoned evenly.

"No she wouldn't!" I looked at them pathetically. How could they not believe us? Mina would never lie; I would never lie!

"Let's go, Hyugga," I said, storming out of the door with the boy following me and trying to say something. With all of my anger pent up in my head, I couldn't hear a word he – or anyone for that matter – said. Mina was innocent; I knew it.

That's all for now please review.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Natsume's POV:

Polka stormed through the halls of the hospital with me tailing behind her. I asked her where we were heading and why but she used all of her energy to tune me out. Her insensitivity and obnoxious behavior sent me through the roof so I began to make vulgar brash comments.

Finally, she stopped walking and turned around to look at me, sighing. "Look, Hyugga, it's not any of your concern. I just need to go to Mina's house and if you'd like you can come; just don't embarrass me."

Then, she turned back around and walked to my car as I followed. Once in the car, we began to drive to this Mina's house.

As Polka instructed me which turns to take and which street signs to look out for, I began to notice the familiar patterns – the patterns that led me to a very special place.

Just as I had thought, we pulled up in front of a nostalgic house. She got out of the car and walked to the door. I did the same. When the door opened I was even more shocked to find my sister, Aoi.

Her eyes, identical to my own, widened in surprise and joy. "Mikan! Why are you here?!"

I was almost jealous as my little sister didn't peel her eyes off Polka, not even bothering to see her companion. It was obvious with the glimmer in her crimson wells that she admired Yukihara a lot – maybe even more so than me.

"Mina," Mikan said, taking a hold of her hands, "I wanted to tell my parents about the decision you made."

Aoi bit her lip, not particularly liking Polka's decision. Then, she finally took her eyes off Polka and looked at me, reacting similarly to how I felt.

"Natsume-nii-san!" she squeaked.

I flinched, sending her a glare in which she responded to by flashing an apologetic smile.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, stepping around Polka and hugging me tightly.

I reluctantly hugged her back, relishing in her comforting scent and finding sanctuary in the feeling of her silky smooth hair against my cheek.

"Nii-san…?" Mikan said, slowly fitting the pieces together. "You're siblings?"

"Yeah," I replied. "Aoi can explain."

"Aoi?" Mikan shook her head. "Her name is Mina."

I snorted. "No, it's Aoi Hyugga. Right, _Mina_?"

Aoi looked down at her hands in discomfort. "I'll explain everything soon enough Mikan; I promise. For right now come inside."

We followed her inside and sat around my coffee table in our luxurious sofas. I looked around, finding that everything had remained the same since I had left for America.

Aoi closed her eyes then smiled and presented Polka her hand. "I'm Aoi Hyuuga."

Mikan denied the hand, staring at her with betrayal. "Your name is Mina…"

Aoi's eyes filled with sadness as she took her seat again and sighed. "Mikan, my last name has always been Hyuuga and you're dad knew it." She raised a baffled brow. "Did he not tell you?

She shook her head. "No. You joined our school when we were five anyways though…"

"Well, when I first started attending the school, it was hard. Not because of the lessons or trainings but because my brother wasn't there. So y-"

Suddenly, Yukihara's phone rang out. She quickly grabbed her phone, about to silence it, when she saw the number. A slow, excited grin broke across her face. Polka held up her index finger and excused herself to take the call.

However, she didn't make it far before she answered the phone. "Youichi… You idiot, how can you-" The person on the other line interrupted her. She patiently waited for a while then said, "No, I'm not busy."

I narrowed my eyes. So she was just going to blow Aoi and I off for this Youichi guy? I wouldn't be able to accept that. But when she peered around the corner, apologetically smiling at us, Aoi just nodded her head eagerly as if to urge her on.

"You're where?" she exclaimed in shock, turning away from us. "Yeah I'll be there in five minutes…what? Yes, I know…I got it. Bye."

She switched off her phone and turned back to me and Aoi. Her eyes were filled with happiness and anxiety as she began to gather her belongings.

"I'm sorry Mi-…Aoi but I have to go pick up my brother and his girlfriend," she said, not taking her eyes off my sister.

Aoi gasped. "Youichi finally got Ichigo to be his girlfriend?"

"I know, I was just as shocked as you are now," she replied.

"Tell him I said hi and leave right now because you know how Youichi hates waiting," Aoi instructed, waving a careless hand to Polka.

Within a second, Polka was out of the room and out of the door. However, she soon poked her head back in, her eyes pleading and mouth pouted cutely out.

I knew what she wanted, or needed. "No."

She came to stand before me, got on her knees and bowed her head. "Please, Natsume. Please, please, please!"

For a while, I glared at her. But when her head popped up to glance at me, her vulnerable seemed to melt my cold glare.

With a sigh, I fished my keys out of my pocket and threw them to her. "You so much as scratch it, you're dead."

Polka jumped up and hugged me tightly, sending my heart fluttering.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Natsume!" she cheered. Then, she pulled away and was running out the door, calling, "I'll bring her back safe and sound."

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. That moron needed someone constantly watching out for her. If not than she'd be dead within a minute.

When I turned back to Aoi, she was smirking, her eyebrows raised to her hairline.

"What?" I growled, having an inkling of the topic.

"You like her," she teased tenderly.

Mikan's POV:

I quickly drove to the airport and in only a few minutes I was there. Jumping out of the car, I searched the crowd and found a waving hand. I ran to them and almost began crying in utter joy.

"Hey!" Ichigo greeted, pulling me into a hug.

I instantly snuggled up against her neck where her long, luscious blond hair was resting in a side braid.

"Hi," I whispered, choking back my emotions. "I thought you guys were still in France?"

She pulled back, holding me by her shoulders with her gorgeous ****green eyesshifting with tears. "We decided to come back a little early."

"Hello?" Youichi drawled, dropping Ichigo's eight bags. "Did you forget about me?"

"I could never forget you."

I pulled him into a tight hug, having to stand on my tippy-toes to plant a sisterly kiss on his cheek. He grimaced, as per usual, but his smile was still evident.

For a minute, I just stared at him, noting that his teal eyes were hiding an exciting secret. I gave him my 'talk later?' look in which he nodded. Then, I brushed back his messy, silver hair, nagging him about getting a hair cut as he slapped my hands away.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" he asked after we got into the car. "I called home but no one picked up."

I looked at him, allowing a slip of my urgency about the topic. "In the hospital. There was a fire in the house that killed Alice."

His brows furrowed. "Who's Alice?"

"Oh yeah you were in France by then. She was our maid," I replied.

Ichigo put her hand on the consol between the two front seats, pushing her way into our conversation. "That's too bad. I'm sorry for your loss."

I looked over at her as the light before us turned red. Then, I noticed a blinding shine coming from the corner of my eye. When I peered down at her hand to see what was so shiny, I found a huge-ass ring on her left, ring finger.

My eyes widened and I slowly looked between the excited couple.

She smiled a huge grin and took my hands. "We're getting married!" she screamed happily.

I looked over at Youichi, feeling overjoyed for the two of them. "Oh my God! Congratulations you two!"

Ichigo's eyes shone like a candle in the blackness of night. Then, they looked down at my left hand holding her's and she screeched, grabbing my hand.

"You're engaged too?" she squealed. "How come you didn't tell us?"

I looked down at my own hand in confusing and saw the fake engagement ring from the mission. I had forgotten to take it off. I gazed up sheepishly and tried to say something when Youichi cut me off

He looked at me in horrification and shock. "You're engaged?" he muttered hoarsely in disbelief. "You're…you're only sixteen…"

I found amusement in the torture he felt about my 'engagement' so I stayed silent, waiting for his onslaught of questions.

"Who's the guy?" he asked coldly. "I want to meet him. Did Mom and Dad approve? I want to meet him. What's he like? How long have you been dating? Is he rich? Does he have a sturdy job? What-"

I held up my hand to stop him, shaking my head and chuckling. That was the most I had ever heard Youichi speak.

"Calm down you two. It was only for a mission," I explained. "I merely forgot to take it off."

They fell back in their seats, sighing in relief – or for Ichigo, disappointment.

Youichi shook his head. "Take it off, now. It gives the wrong message."

I remained still, occasionally turning the wheel.

He glared at me and sighed, shaking his head again. "A thousand years too early for shit like this…"

**Sorry for the shortness and lateness. But I hope you liked it. Please R&R. **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

I pulled up to Aoi's mansion and got out. Youichi and Ichigo followed suit, finding their places behind me as they admired the beauty of the house. Together, we trudged up the fearful flight of stairs and reached the door.

I opened without knocking as this was like my second home. "I'm back!" I called out into the silent house.

"Where are we?" Ichigo asked, glancing around at the elegant architect and statues.

"It's Mina's house, isn't it?" Youichi asked as he followed me.

"You're right but her name isn't Mina; it's Aoi." I opened the door to reveal the siblings sitting on the couch, looking serious.

I raised my brow in urgent curiosity. "Why so tense?"

Aoi smiled. "Welcome back."

Natsume continued glaring harshly, sitting back and crossing his arms loosely. He gave no sign of acknowledgment nor did he bother to fix his attitude.

"Guess whose back?" Ichigo called, walking through the doorway with her arms outspread.

Aoi immediately stood up and hugged Ichigo who tightly embraced the girl in her comforting arms. They pulled apart and shared a glance, a low murmur, and then they turned to me with contained grins.

"What?" I asked suspiciously.

"It's your birthday in two weeks," Ichigo started, slowly creeping towards me.

I shrugged and collapsed beside Mr. Grumpy. "Yeah, so?"

"Shopping!" she squealed giddily, clapping her hands and turning to Aoi with an excited gleam in her emerald eyes.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Two weeks; you have two weeks and you want to shop now because…?"

Ichigo rolled her eyes as if I were being idiotic. "It's your birthday and you're finally turning seventeen."

"Not," I said repetitively, "for another two weeks."

"Stop being a party-pooper and come with us," Ichigo declared firmly. "I'll bring Kaori and the others also."

"Kaori?" I repeated, trying to recall where I had heard that name.

Ichigo merely waved off the trivial topic. "My sister; I'm inviting her friends along too."

I could feel the deal closing so I quickly set in my final card. "I have school tomorrow so-"

"Nope, school can wait." She held up her frail hand and smiled cheerfully. "But shopping can't."

I groaned and pushed off the couch, directing her down the hall. "You need to rest; I promise we'll go shopping tomorrow."

Youichi grabbed my shoulder as I passed by, looking from me to the brooding boy on the couch. I shook my head, signaling that I would introduce them at a better time.

"Now," I said, placing my hands on my hips. "Let's go home…unless you want to stay with Aoi for the night…?"

"No, I'd like to see my family again so could-"

"No," I interrupted. "You're coming to Kazu's; no place else guarantees your safety."

Ichigo looked at me for a long time, her green eyes analyzing my face. "I will never understand how someone so much younger than me could be so much smarter," she finally murmured in envy.

I smiled apologetically and hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear, "Be glad; you and I both know the circumstances that made me this way. No one should go through something like that at such an age."

Ichigo hugged me tighter, burrowing her face in my neck. I did the same, relishing the comforting feel of her blond, silky locks against my cheek.

Ichigo pulled away and immediately returned to business. "Youichi, come drop me off. Mikan, can we take your car?"

"Sure; it's in-"

She didn't even wait for a reply, opting to stride out of the room before I could even finish my sentence.

Youichi rolled his eyes and hugged me tightly. "We'll need to talk later," he whispered softly in my ear.

I nodded, feeling the constricting chains tighten around my chest.

He subtly pecked me on the cheek and ruffled my hair. "Love you."

I smiled tenderly. "Love you too."

He walked backwards out the door, watching me watching him. We both had a tendency to hate saying 'goodbye'. Being a spy, we had lost track of those we had never seen again after uttering a farewell bidding…to even think of losing my brother was unbearable; so I made every moment with him count and he did the same.

I turned to Natsume, sheepishly scratching my head. "Thanks for the car…hope you don't mind Youichi using it…"

He continued glaring at me, his eyes only becoming colder.

"Natsume," I called, fidgeting with my clasped hands as I reluctantly asked, "Can you drop me off at my house?"

His crimson eyes narrowed more but he got up, albeit not without a few choice words to show his discontent.

I followed him to his car after hugging Aoi goodbye. After he pulled onto the main road I started to think.

"Are you okay?" I started.

Natsume growled, not even bothering to reply.

I looked out the window. "What happened while I was gone?"

He remained silent.

"Natsume," I said harder, turning my interrogating gaze towards him. "What happened while I was gone?"

"Tch," he scoffed, harshly glaring at the road and pressing the gas down.

I was unfazed as we far exceeded the speed limit. However, when he began to involuntarily slam my head on the window every turn, I almost snapped.

"Natsume Hyuuga," I yelled, "calm down and stop driving like we're being chased!"

Natsume looked at me for the first time upon entering the car. He seemed surprised that I was there. Then, he turned back to the road, slowed down so that we were abiding the speed limit and quietly bowed his head. The remainder of the car ride was silent.

After a short time, we pulled into my drive way. I got out of the car and quickly walked to the door, deciding Natsume needed some space. When I opened the door I was tackled by Anna, Misaki, Sumire and Nonoko.

I fell onto the porch and stared incredulously as they squirmed in delight, all vying for my attention by yelling over one another. Anna's blue eyes shined brightly and Sumire's hair seemed to be permed to perfection.

"Will you four get off me and tell me what's going on?" I asked dubiously.

They all got off and recomposed themselves.

I waited for them to coherently tell me what was happening. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Natsume lazily striding to catch up to me.

"Guess whose back?" Misaki said, barely containing her happiness as she grabbed my hand and pulled me inside

"I don't know; who?"

Then, I saw a familiar figure creep out from the shadows. My amber eyes widened as everyone stepped away, allowing us to have space. It was the same black hair that now fell over his forehead and the identical dark blue eyes that beamed with joy and excitement.

"Rei!" I yelled, practically jumping into his expecting arms.

"Mikan," he tenderly replied. "How have you been? How are Aunt and Uncle?"

I pulled back slightly, keeping my arms loosely tied around his waist. "They're good - just in the hospital for a couple of days. How long do you plan on staying in Tokyo?"

He frowned and tightened his hold around my waist. "Only for today."

"Rei," I said, pouting out my lip and staring up at him with doleful eyes. "You have to stay longer."

He laughed and led me by the hand to sit around the table with everyone. As we passed Natsume, I noticed his tense posture and harsh glare. He was even more pissed – at that moment it was the most angered I had yet to see him.

He muttered, barely inaudibly, "That damn bastard."

I cast him a befuddled look but continued following Rei. We sat down on a love seat and yet Natsume tried to squeeze in beside me despite the several other available seats. I furrowed my brows at him but he ignored me and continued staring straight ahead.

"Mikan," my uncle said, a smirk plastered on his face.

I skeptically looked at him through narrowed eyes. "Yes?"

He leaned forward and placed his face in his palm. "I want you and Hyugga to have a kid."

I felt my jaw drop open as I stared at him in complete and utter shock. Hyuuga froze, his eyes wide and disbelieving. Slowly, I registered everything; Hyuuga and I having a kid…

I slammed my fist and stood up in outrage. "You want me to what? You want your _only_ niece to have a kid so young and with someone she doesn't love? I can't believe you I can-" I began to hyperventilate just imagining this scenario.

My breaths became erratic and my lungs seemed to be incapable of breathing. "Hyuuga…and I," I wheezed between gasps. "Having a kid? A kid? My God…A kid?"

Maids instantly rushed to my aid, frantically trying to help me.

"Mikan-sama, are you okay?" asked another.

"Mikan-sama, do you want water?" one asked

I eagerly accepted the water and regulated my breathing, realizing that I had taken hold of both Natsume and Rei's hands. I pulled mine out of Hyuuga's, beyond confused as he looked at me with a blank stare.

Why wasn't he outraged? Why was he so calm? What the hell was his problem? My mind became so hazy and overbearing that I could almost feel tears. I'd have to lose my virginity to this boy?

"I'm fine," I curtly said.

Kazu clasped my hand tenderly and forced me to look at him. "Allow me to elaborate before you jump to conclusions."

I took a deep breath. He was right; I was jumping to insane conclusions. I was his sole niece – practically his child. There was no way that he'd ask such a thing of me…especially because he wouldn't want me to do _that_ as well.

"Okay," I said, "I'm listening."

Kazu cleared his throat and started, "Your father and his company have decided that the amounts of agents we have are not sufficient. At the rate we have been recruiting people over the last few years, we won't have any agents by the end of ten years."

I nodded, slowly seeing where the entire 'child thing' was coming from. "And you can't just hire more agents; they need to be scrutinized and labeled as loyal."

Kazu's eyes grew hard. "Your father and I can't stand thinking about you having a child – especially with someone who you don't love yet. However, we have been watching you two and we've come to an agreement that everything will work out."

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "What will work out?"

My uncle merely smirked.

I remained quiet pondering on what was going on. He still hadn't gotten to the 'child thing' yet. There were myriads of questions screaming in my head but I kept my lips sealed, waiting expectantly for him to continue.

"Mikan," Kazu finally said, watching me seriously. "Basically, we need new recruits for our agency. All of you," he said, indicating everyone in the room, "have been paired up with the opposite gender. We've done this pairing based off records and observations so not to worry, everyone has an appropriate partner – even if you don't think you do." Kazu gave me a pointed glance.

I shrugged him off and glanced at Hyuuga from the corner of my eye. He seemed to be digesting this all too well. His mesmerizing eyes lazily watched my uncle as he leaned on the palm of his hand. I softly scoffed and looked back at my uncle.

"We do expect you to eventually have a child and help us with the agency," Kazu said, weighing my reaction.

I looked out the window, refusing to accept any of this. Rei's hand clasped mine tightly, almost warning me to stop acting so childishly. This wasn't just a mission; it was a life altering favor. I hadn't even thought of having a child; I wasn't even seventeen yet.

Kazu held up a paper. "This is your marriage certificate, Mikan. You and Hyuuga are now Natsume and Mikan Sakura. You will go to an adoption center within the hour and adopt a child at the age of nine months." I opened my mouth to protest but Kazu shushed me with his hand. "The meeting is set; all that you have to do is act in love, mature and motherly."

"In love?" I squeaked, dreading the thought of hanging off Natsume's arms with love-struck eyes.

"Yes," Kazu replied, his eyes firm and final. "In love. Couples are always _happy and love-struck_ so you need-"

"Not always," I grumbled under my breath. "That's why there are divorces."

Kazu narrowed his eyes and stood up, obviously losing his patience with me. "This is a _mission_, Agent Yukihara."

I flinched at his formal and harsh tone. It was always work before family and emotions in the spy business. Kazu was reminding me this with a single sentence.

I stood, my face stoic and 'prepared'. "Yes, sir."

Kazu's eyes flickered in remorse. "Get going."

I nodded and walked back to my room to get changed, choosing something that made me appear older. With a few touches of makeup, deepening the color below my cheek bones and arching my eyebrows more, and a wave of my curler, I appeared as though I were a twenty-year old woman.

Nodding in satisfaction, I exited my room and found Hyuuga in the living room. He appeared older as well, having highlighted his sharp features with shadows of makeup. He didn't say a word as he presented his hand which I took.

He led me to the car, opening the door and closing it shut behind me. I was surprised by his adoring demeanor. With that thought in my mind, I too fell into character. When he slid into the car I brushed his forearm and smiled tenderly when he glanced at me in shock.

Natsume shifted his gaze to watching the road. "This isn't what you want," he stated simply.

I peered at him from the corner of my eyes. "Maybe not; but it's a missions."

Hyuuga stared at me, narrowing his eyes in speculation.

"Sir's words are absolute."

"He's your father," Hyuuga muttered, seeming somewhat disbelieving. "Call him your father.

I glanced at him, not comprehending his sudden need for me to call Dad my father. "In my house, there are eight people – not four."

Natsume eyed me curiously, knowing I only had my parents and Youichi.

"There's me – Mikan – then there's Agent Yukihara. There's Youichi, then there's Agent Hijiri. There's Mom and Dad and then there's Sir and 'Mam."

The rest of the car ride was silent.

We got to the adoption center which was a brick building with vines scaling its side. Hyuuga opened the door for me and we walked into the building emitting a giddy feel with me having a goofy grin on my face as we squeezed one another's hand.

When we opened the door, we saw little kids running around and laughing. A true smile spread across my face as I watched them interact innocently.

We entered another room off to the right to see a middle-aged woman who could have been no more than thirty-five with blonde hair and wise, green eyes.

She stood up to greet us but stopped in her tracks. "You two appear young…" she sifted through the papers before her and nodded, releasing an understanding sigh. "That's because you are. Are you sure you're ready to adopt at the age of twenty?"

I nodded, my eyes shining in determination. "It's always been our dream to have a child, but I've been diagnosed as…" my voice tampered off and I held my hand over my mouth, feigning heart-wrenching depression.

Natsume rubbed soothing circles on my bicep, cooing soft words to ward off the sorrow.

The woman stood. "You're…infertile?" she uttered gingerly, as if afraid to break me.

I meekly nodded, taking a deep breath and removing my hand, presenting a tight smile. "I apologize…"

Natsume hugged me tightly to his sound and flashed the lady a hint of an apologetic smile. "We discovered recently and are still attempting to wrap our minds around it."

I nodded and sat down in one of the two chairs. "But just the thought of adopting a child makes the pain go entirely away." I looked up at Natsume with shining eyes. "It's better this way, actually. Why conceive a child when there are millions without a home?"

Natsume nodded and sat in the chair beside me. The woman's eyes glowed softly as she retook her seat and double checked our documents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sakura, it says here you two are currently upholding stable jobs." She eyed us with acceptation. "To be a lawyer and a doctor at such an age is amazing – unheard of if I may say so myself."

"We both excelled in high school, graduating at the age of sixteen," Natsume said. "Then in college we found our drive and passed all necessary courses within two years. We decided we'd work ourselves so that we'd be dependent by the age of twenty." He grinned bashfully. "Look where we are now; adopting a child and upholding jobs magnificently."

I laughed lightly, beaming at the 'past' we had mulled through and where we were now.

The woman smiled brightly. "Truly unheard of," she muttered. "I'm Renee by the way. Now, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to first see how you and the child interact, okay?"

We both nodded exuberantly.

"Bring in the kid," she ordered to the woman standing at the door.

The kid? My brow twitched at her use of words. Did he not have a name? Or were these people too lazy to name him? Hyuuga squeezed my hand, warning me to keep my façade in place.

The lady returned and placed a bundle in my arms. His eyes were a dazzling hazel and his few locks of silk hair were a golden blonde. I stared at him for a moment and he stared right back. I couldn't help but find this child to be a miracle. He slowly smiled and began to prattle softly, waving his arms and legs in joy. I realized a wide smile had overtaken my face and that I couldn't wipe it off.

I looked up at Natsume who seemed mesmerized by the child's joyous antics. Our gazes connected and he smiled for the first time I had ever seen. His face glowed as the child caught his pinky and began to suck on it with his five teeth – three on the top and two on the bottom.

Natsume's finger seemed to pacify him as his eyes slowly blinked. He looked from me to Natsume and me again. His cheeks were chubby – as per usual for an infant – and his stomach and thighs were bulging.

"He hasn't started crawling yet," I remarked in a soft, tender voice.

I knew that an infant lost all his baby fat as soon as he started to exert himself by crawling, cruising and walking. Even so, I didn't mind the fat; I loved every inch of this baby.

"What's his name?" Natsume asked.

"He doesn't have a name so you two can name him," the lady said. "I will warn you: he is a fussy child that is always seeking for something to mess up."

I looked down at the child again, my eyes scrutinizing his passive, cherubic face. He didn't seem loud or annoying to me. In fact, he seemed to have an intelligent – albeit mischievous – glint in his eyes.

"What's his background?" I asked curiously.

Renee took out a few papers and scanned the words, offhandedly reading aloud, "He was left at the hospital…the mother was able to flee immediately after birth and when the police looked for her name through all the databases they found that she had used an alias and that she had disguised herself so that they wouldn't be able to find her…they brought him here after a few weeks – he had jaundice – and we've been taking care of him since."

Quite the story this child had. He seemed to have it tough from the start. Now, here we were, about to bring him into a dangerous, unwelcoming world…My heart almost broke. How could I be so cruel?

"_Sir's words are absolute."_

I almost shook my head in disgust with myself and Sir. How? That's all I wanted to know: how?

"How long will we have to wait until we can formally adopt him?" Natsume asked, playing with the child's hands.

Renee leaned onto her knuckles and watched us play with the child. "Well, since the mother clearly did not want to keep this baby from the start, the court has already terminated all original rights from the mother and father. This makes things a lot easier."

We eagerly listened, nodding along at the perfect moments.

"Normally we would have you come here a few more times to visit the child and see how everything is coming along. In this case, you wouldn't be able to bring the child home until six months and we wouldn't be able to formally hand him over until a year."

I glanced at Natsume in a panic, knowing how my father needed us to have the child right away. He cast me a 'calm-down' look and we looked back at Renee.

"However," she said, a smile gracing her lips. "I can tell that you two are perfect. This child has never reacted so well with any potential parents and that says a lot about the two of you and you're relationship with him." Renee leaned back and eyed us carefully. "Besides, I've gotten a letter from the government to allow you to take him home upon the first visit."

I almost rolled my eyes, chiding myself for ever thinking Sir would allow such a nuisance to happen. Of course he'd pull out the government card. Instead of reacting as such, however, I furrowed my brows in confusion, glancing at Natsume to 'see if he had any idea what this was about'. He shrugged.

"Why would the government do that?" I asked innocently.

Renee stared at us for a minute and then sighed. "I'm not sure; maybe because of your amazing feats and apparent talent. Even so, I feel comfortable sending him home with you." She passed us an envelope. "Here are the papers and such that you must fill out to seal the adoption. Bring it back whenever and we'll sign the kid over to you."

Natsume took the envelope and stood up, helping me up as I continued cooing to the boy.

"Thank you," we said in unison, our eyes gleaming in excitement and happiness.

Renee smiled and waved. "Also, his birth certificate is in there. The mother never signed it or anything so sign your names and the child's name and bring it to the indicated hospital."

We nodded and left the building. Hyuuga was quiet as we got into the car. I continued watching the boy watch me in amusement. This was now my child – mine and Natsume's.

"What's his name going to be?" Natsume asked, not taking his eyes off the road and driving carefully.

I pondered on his question for a long time, propping the child on my knees as he stood and began to sway as he tried to stand on his own. His hazel eyes shone in determination and his golden mane glowed in the sunlight. He appeared to be a gift from Heaven.

"How about Haru?" I replied.

Natsume thought about it for a minute. "As in spring."

I nodded. "His hair reminds me of the sun on a spring morning and his hazel eyes make me think of nature thriving from the dirt."

Natsume smiled softly – the second time I'd ever seen such a beautiful thing – and rubbed the child's head. "Haru."

I brought my face close to Haru's and began to coo excitedly to him. "Haru's a good boy! He loves the spring; Haru is our good boy."

Natsume rolled his eyes and pulled into my drive way, helping me and Haru out. "You'll take care of him right?"

I looked at him, trying to gauge whether he was serious or not. "I'll do my part and you do yours."

"What's my part?" he asked, already turning sour.

"Being a father," I said, stopping in my tracks and staring into his crimson eyes. "Natsume, this is _our_ child. He needs our help to eat, go to the bathroom, change, speak, walk, crawl, learn, go to the bathroom, everything. He _needs_ us."

Natsume shoved his hands in his pockets and watched our child. He began to bite on the inside of his mouth, an anxious gesture I had never seen.

"You're his father," I said softly, putting Haru in his arms.

He awkwardly held the boy, watching him as he squirmed in his hold. When Haru found Natsume's pinky, he was pacified again, seeming fascinated with the width of the finger.

Natsume chuckled softly. "Our child, huh?"

I smiled and walked past them. "So you can change the diaper and bathe him."

"What?" he hissed lowly, storming behind me. "Why me?"

I scoffed. "Because I'll do the rest: feeding, sleeping, shopping, etc."

We walked into the house. I bashfully walked into the living room where everyone was and Natsume trailed behind me, his ears growing red in anger.

"We are taking turns – with _everything_."

I turned around and took Haru from Natsume, laughing at his irk. "Don't worry Natsume, I was only kidding."

I set Haru on my hip and turned towards the probing eyes. Natsume stood by my side, watching as Haru gleefully waved his hands at everyone, loving the attention.

"Yeah," I said in my baby voice, "wave 'hi' to everyone. They're you're family from now on."

"You got the kid," Kazu said, sounding pleased.

"The kid?" Natsume said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

I glared at my uncle. "He has a name you know."

Everyone eyed Natsume and I as if we were crazy, watching as we slowly reverted back into the mushy parents that we seemed to be around Haru.

"Sorry, Mikan," Kazu apologized. "Would you mind telling us his name?"

I lightly bounced him on my hip, smiling brightly as he laughed. "His name's Haru."

Hotaru got out her camera and took a bunch of pictures. I knew she'd use them to blackmail me and Natsume later. I looked up at him by my side and we smiled at one another, having thought the same thing.

"What do you plan on doing with Haru?" Misaki asked. "I mean, are you going to train him?"

I stopped bouncing Haru and stared down at him, not daring to look at my uncle. He remained quiet, however.

"Answer the question, Kazu. What do you plan on doing with him?" I firmly demanded.

He sighed. "Yes, I am going to train him. He's going to become a spy; like I have said before, we need new recruits."

Haru didn't deserve that – he deserved to be normal and happy. But I knew it wasn't Kazu speaking, but Agent Yuki. There would be no objections.

Kazu stood and took Haru from me, acting like the uncle I knew and loved. He lifted Haru above his head and prattled along with him, beaming happily.

Rei came up beside Kazu and playfully poked his chubby cheeks and swinging his legs. The sight of Rei was priceless; I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Natsume, however, shifted uncomfortabe, obviously not liking how Rei was touching Haru.

"You're parents called, by the way," Kazu said, handing Haru to Natsume. "They had something they wanted to tell you."

"Mom and Dad called? What did they want to talk to me about?" I asked.

"It's best to hear it from them."

I gave him a concerned glance but still took out my phone and dialed the hospital number.

"Hello. Central Tokyo Hospital; what can I do for you?" asked a familiar yet unknown voice.

"Yes, hi. Can I speak to Mr. and Mrs. Sakura please?" I asked.

There was a brief pause before she said anything.

"I'm their daughter, Mikan Sakura."

She remained silent for a long time. I could only hear her breathing erratically on the other end.

"Yes, of course," she finally said, barely above a whisper. "I'll put your call through to their room.

I raised my hand to rub my temple as I tried to remember where I had heard her voice before. It was strangely familiar, almost nostalgic.

Natsume watched me, lifting a subtle brow as if to ask what was wrong. I lightly shook my head, dropping my hand and momentarily giving up on placing her voice.

"Hello?"

I smiled, snapping out of my thoughts. "Hey, Mom. It's Mikan."

"Oh, Mikan. Guess what?" Before I could so much as reply she happily said, "You're birthday's going to be huge. I have everything planned out. It's going to be a masquerade ball!"

"What?" I squawked, not believing my ears. "Hell no, Mom! I just want a regular party."

"No ball?" she asked, her enthusiasm deflating.

I shook my head in exasperation. "No; a DJ, food and a simple theme is all I need."

Mom was quiet, obviously disappointed. I waited for her to chirp an 'okay' but it never came. She was _really_ disappointed.

I sighed. "Can you plan it for me?"

Mom took a sharp intake of breath. "Really?"

"Yeah," I said, closing my eyes and hoping I wouldn't regret this. "Just nothing too eccentric, okay?"

"Okay, Miki! Bye."

I stared at the phone, watching as the 'Call Ended' sign blinked across my screen. I tenderly smiled, thinking of how much I loved Mom.

**Please review.**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

_It was finally my birthday,_ I thought. The last two weeks were just a blur after Hyugga and I became Haru's parents. Haru was still adjusting to us but when need be it he would cry like there was no tomorrow.

"Stop moving!" I yelled, frustrated.

Haru continued squirming as I tried to get a dress shirt over his head. He hated having things covering his eyes and the more he wiggled the longer the neck of the shirt stayed wrapped around his forehead.

"Haru, come on; please stop," I said in an exasperated tone.

He squirmed one more time. Finally, I had enough; I tore off the shirt and picked him up, carrying him to Hyuuga's room. I knocked on the door, heard footsteps and then the door opened, revealing a shirtless Hyuuga.

I blushed at the sight and averted my gaze. Hyuuga raised his brows, smirking victoriously. I muttered a flustered, "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything," he said smugly.

"S-shut up and make Haru wear this; he won't stop moving," I said handing him the fiddling toddler and the shirt.

He took Haru in his hands but the child kept moving, his chin beginning to quiver as his face became discontent.

"I'll have him put it on." Then, he promptly slammed the door in my face.

With an infuriated sigh, I walked back to my room and got dressed. I hadn't been able to change my clothes for the past three days and the last time I had taken a shower had been over a week. I was emotionally and mentally drained; I could feel myself slowly falling in on myself.

I collapsed onto the bed, heaving for air as I heard Haru screeching and crying in the room across the hall. Natsume would be in any second, shoving the child back in my arms and I'd have to deal with it – again. I couldn't do it. I was done.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. I wiped my distraught tears and called, "Hold on!"

I checked my face in the mirror, noting the fading blotches that appeared when I cried. For a second, I calmed myself, seizing control of my flaring nostrils and quaking hands. Then, I opened the door to find Hyugga standing there with Haru, who was now wearing the dress shirt.

I couldn't keep the relieved smile off my face. Natsume had actually done something that A) I couldn't do and B) stopped Haru from crying. I took Haru into my arms, softly cradling him and prattling words as I gazed into his hazel eyes.

Natsume took the infant out of my arms. I looked up at him, questioning his actions. He merely rubbed his finger across my cheekbone, obviously seeing the blotches. For a minute, I was still, losing my breath as his eyes softened and he tenderly calloused my cheek.

"Do your hair," he said. "You look like a monster."

I flinched beneath his touch, glaring harshly at him as I turned around and began to curl my hair. Natsume sat on my bed, placing Haru on his lap. It was amusing as they stared at one another, clueless as to how to act and what to do.

After I finished, I took Haru in my arms and began to grab my purse and shoes. "Hyugga, are you going to stay here or come with us to the restaurant?"

Natsume grunted but he put his phone away and walked to the door. We walked down the stairs, lightly bickering at one another due to our extreme fatigue.

"It's not my fault that I haven't taken a shower in practically a week!" I yelled.

The crimson-eyed boy scoffed. "Then make time for it; I don't want to walk around with a stink bomb."

I elbowed him in the stomach, smirking at his slight inhale of pain. "Once you start to put the toilet seat down I'll start showering."

"Or you could put it down yourself," he muttered under his breath.

I elbowed him again. "Deal or no deal?"

"You two sound like an old married couple."

I froze mid-step, eyes widening as I saw my parents standing at the end of the stair case. Then, I bolted down the steps, completely forgetting about the poor child in my arms.

"Mom! Dad!" I exclaimed.

They looked a little shocked. "Mikan!" Mom greeted with a tight smile on her distressed face. "Who's this?"

"Oh him?" I asked, lifting the child in my arms who was ecstatic due to our little rush of bouncing. "This is Haru. He's Hyuuga and my child."

Dad's eyes widened in horror. "K-kid! You and _him_? Why? Mikan, why?"

"Dad!" I exclaimed, shaking his shoulder. "Dad, he's adopted! He's not actually our kid."

Mom sighed in relief and Dad finally stopped screaming and recomposed himself. It was silent and Hyuuga, Haru and I judged them, giving them estranged looks.

Dad sheepishly cleared his throat. "You should've said that in the beginning."

"I should've. It would have saved us 5 minutes," I mumbled as we walked to the car.

Kazu was sitting in the driver's seat, waiting for us to join him. Dad sat in the passenger seat and I sat between Natsume and Mom in the back. I was silently fiddling with my fingers as Kazu pulled out of the driveway, suddenly dreading this meal.

"Mikan, dear?" Mom asked, a smile plastered on her face.

"Yes?" I asked, confused.

"How old is Haru?"

"Oh. He's nine months old."

Mom nodded. "His birthday?"

"No idea. The lady never told us. She didn't even name Haru; we did."

"Kazumi, you never told them?" Mom asked.

"Never got to it," my uncle replied, his eyes focused on the road. "His birthday's on April 7, 2013."

Everyone was quiet as we digested this. April 7…I always loved April babies. Their birthstones were beautiful – diamonds.

"Mikan?" Mom tentatively called.

"Yes?"

"Could you…close your eyes?"

I scrunched my brows in confusion. "Mom?"

"Close your eyes!"

I immediately closed them and the car came to a halt. Natsume took Haru out of my arms and I immediately felt the absence of his heat. Mom took my arm and dragged me out of the car, covering my eyes with her hands.

We walked a few feet on a paved road, heating emitting from the ground. I was assuming that the pavement was new as the amount of heat it had collected from the sun over the course of the day seemed to be a lot. The darker the color, the more heat it absorbs and the newer the pavement the darker the color.

Finally, Mom took her hands off my eyes. I slowly peeled them open, recoiling as the glow of an enormous mansion blinded me. After my eyes adjusted I found everyone – Hotaru, Ruka, Tsubasa, Misaki, Youichi, Ichigo – standing beside me, their faces almost as bright as the lights of the house.

Off to my left was a sparkling, new BMW that was coated in a slick, grey color. My mouth dropped as I turned to Mom and Dad who were trying to muffle their smiles.

"Happy Birthday!" everyone yelled excitedly in unison.

"A house…you bought me a house…and a car?" I tightly clutched my parents, knowing how expensive and costly everything was. "Thank you!"

"You're welcome sweetheart," Dad replied, snuggling into the crook of my neck. "But you're not the only one that's going to live here. Natsume and the others are too."

I pulled back, not sure whether to feel exhilarated or sick by the thought. We were only sixteen and seventeen and yet my Mom and Dad were buying us a house for a bunch of teenagers to live in…alone…no parental guidance.

Mom saw my hesitation and combed her fingers soothingly through my hair. "It's okay, we'll provide everything. We trust you."

After a moment of thought, I nodded and smiled. "Thank you guys so much."

Kazu stepped out from behind Mom and Dad. "We'll be dining here tonight to celebrate your birthday. In the mean time, we've ordered some U-Haul trucks to move everyone's belongings here."

"Let's go inside I'm freezing," Misaki said while shivering.

I agreed so we walked inside. To my surprise, it was even bigger, even grander than my old house.

The grand staircase stood in the center of room with the west wing on one side and the right wing on the other. The dining room was on the right where a large dining table stood with enough seats to fit my entire school. The thing that excited me the most, however, was the huge window straight ahead that overlooked the exotic pool outside.

"Mikan do you want a tour or would you like to eat dinner first?" Mom asked.

I pondered for a moment then smiled. "Let's eat dinner."

"Tonight we're ordering take-out like we do on your brother's birthday," Dad informed.

I cringed slightly, not exactly finding that idea appealing. "The only reason Youichi gets take-out is because he hates restaurant food."

Youichi brushed past me, purposefully ramming his shoulder into my back causing me to stumble. "I heard that."

We all ate dinner, chatting happily about anything and everything. Apparently my parents were allowed to stay at home and rest up – stressing the rest part – but they also had to check in with a doctor once a week.

After dinner, Mom, Dad and Kazu left, leaving my friends and me alone in the house – along with Aoi and Kaori as well. Haru began to whimper in his crib in the living room so I picked him up, noticing that it was about time he was fed.

After creating the formula, I stepped outside, gazing in content over the illuminated night. I sat at the side of the pool watching Haru as he cherubically sipped the nipple of the bottle. Every once in a while, he'd get fussy and push it away, but when I put it behind my back, he'd reach for it, childishly whining, "Baba! Baba!"

I felt a sudden breeze and looked to the side to see Natsume sitting beside me. I watched him, wondering what he was doing at a time like this when he could be in his room sleeping or doing something like playing Assassins Creed in the game room.

"Will you stop staring at me?" he asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I looked down at Haru to find his face puckered in distaste.

"What's wrong Haru?" I asked.

Haru shoved the finished bottle out of his face and began to crawl around the patio. I watched, concerned about whether or not the rocks would hurt his knees. But as he trudged on, crawling the most I had ever seen him, I began to smile, realizing I was being an over-protective mother.

I couldn't help it. I loved Haru so much. True, he didn't have my blood nor did he have similar traits. But Haru was my child – Hyuuga's and mine.

"I want him to have a normal life," Natsume said as he leaned back with his hands on the cold tile.

"So do I but I can't go against Sir's words." My eyes began to water just at the thought of Haru's pleasant smile never reappearing. "I don't want him to go through the same things we went through, Natsume."

We were silent for a while as everything sunk in.

"What do we do?" he asked quietly. "Are we bad parents?"

I looked at Natsume, never having seen such vulnerability coming from him. Being parents had brought us together. Sure, we bickered incessantly, but we cared for each other – more than anyone would ever know. For Natsume to ask such a question at such a time with such a face, it meant he was opening up to me.

"Yeah," I replied softly. "Giving him to the agency is bad."

Natsume looked at me, his eyes doleful.

"But we're doing the best we can." I watched Haru as he giggled and wiggled happily. "We're giving him all our love, all our time, all our emotions. If we give everything to Haru, we can't be bad parents."

I chuckled as Haru found a frog and began to slowly chase after it, his eyes wide in awe. "As long as Haru's happy and healthy, I'd say we're pretty good parents – despite giving him to the agency," I said, laying my head on his shoulder.

He looked at me for a brief second, seeming surprised and understanding. I flashed him a big smile, feeling victorious of my words and their affect. Natsume didn't smile back, however. His gaze, instead, flickered to my lips.

My breath stopped as my heart began to pound nosily in my chest. I couldn't resist looking down at his full lips as he curled his upper lip into his mouth.

"Natsume?" I asked breathily.

His eyes connected with mine, and then he slowly descended his lips on my own. I froze, tensing at his touch but relishing in his taste. Natsume slowly began to work his lips over mine and just like that, I melted.

_I didn't want to kiss him it was vulgar_, is what I kept telling myself. But my body wouldn't listen to my thoughts that were running wild. Without my consent, I began to slowly mold my lips with his. He brought his hand to my face, tenderly cupping my jaw. His tongue slid across my bottom lip, begging for entry. Just as I was about to give it to him, Haru cried out.

We jolted away from one another, rushing over to him. I cradled him in my arms, trying to ease his tears.

"Come on, Haru; don't cry. It's alright Mama and Papa are here now," I cooed in my baby voice.

He continued to cry however, screaming in utter terror. My heart broke as I tried to mend his fear unsuccessfully. I held him tightly to my chest, trying to give him security. Natsume rubbed soothing circles on his back and arm. Finally, Haru began to calm down. After a minute, he was breathing heavily, signaling that he was asleep.

"What do you think happened?" I whispered to Natsume.

Natsume didn't answer. He merely peered around our yard, looking for something, anything. I realized he thought that Haru had seen something, something not only horrifying, but evil as well.

Haru woke up again, crying as if remembering the past events. I tried to soothe him but he continued to cry.

"I'm going to go to bed," I told Natsume, watching Haru in torturous agony. "Goodnight."

I entered the house, trying to comfort my child. His eyes stayed on me as they crinkled and distraught, terrified tears ran down his baby cheeks. The others peered around the corner as I walked past. I gave them a tight smile, knowing they were dreading getting their own children.

Without a word, I found my room on the first floor and noticed Haru's crib also wresting in the corner. I laid him down on my bed and began to wrap him in a blanket, tightly tying him in the burrito to calm him down.

"Haru. Come on, please stop crying. Come on. Please, smile for Mama."

But he continued to screech, undoing the blanket and flailing his arms angrily. I tried again and again to tie him in the blanket, knowing that he loved to feel tight and secure, but nothing could seem to soothe him.

Hours passed on as I tried to comfort my child. Hours passed on as his continued to cry, not seeming tired or fazed by the late time. I began to worry. What if something had gotten to him? Was he hurt? Was he going to die? Why hadn't he stopped crying?

Suddenly, I heard a quiet knock on the door and opened it to reveal everyone. Ichigo yawned and came inside, flopping down on my bed.

"What's with all the noise? Why's Haru being so loud?" she asked, sitting up and yawning. "It's the middle of the night. Can't a girl get some sleep here?" I closed the door after letting everyone else in. They all sat around the crying Haru. Finally Hotaru got annoyed and brought out her baka gun. My eyes widened and stepped in front of Haru.

"Are you crazy? He's a baby."

She eyed me then put the gun down. I sighed in relief. I picked up Haru and patted his back. Suddenly, I heard a small sound like a burp. Before I knew it he was hitting my arms with his tiny hands, gurgling in delight.

"That's all he needed?" Koko exclaimed, annoyed. "A pat on the back!"

He seemed to be the only one annoyed because everyone else seemed happy that Haru wasn't crying anymore. Within a millisecond everyone except for Natsume was gone and in their rooms sleeping.

I walked over to the crib, setting Haru down as his eyes drooped shut and he began to suck his little thumb. Then, I collapsed on the bed, exhausted and embarrassed.

"You know, I think we need more practice with Haru because if that's all he needed I don't think we'll be able to handle him when there's a big problem," I managed to say.

It was silent as Natsume mulled over my words. It was obvious that he was looking for something to soothe me with, but didn't know what.

He watched Haru as he quietly murmured, "We've only had him for two weeks; we're all adjusting to one another. Give it time, Polka."

Then, he turned to me and let his hand fall on top of my head, softly rubbing my hair to try to soothe me. The action itself made me feel like a dog, but the meaning made my cheeks light up in a bright pink.

Suddenly, my phone rang. I narrowed my eyes, wondering who in their right mind would be calling me at this hour. The caller ID said 'Mom'. I laughed at the irony.

"Agent Yukihara, are you awake?" my mother asked in a stern voice.

I quickly realized this wasn't a mother-daughter call but a boss-agent alert.

"Yes, 'Mam," I replied stoically.

"The A.A.O. is having an event tomorrow night. You and you're special ops group will leave early tomorrow to attend this event. Hyuuga and you will be married. Leave Haru at the house; we'll have nannies take care of him. Be at the event by 8 PM. I'll send over more information later."

"Yes, 'Mam."

With that, she hung up, not even bothering to ask why I was still up, why my voice was thick with tears and why I was ill prepared for the phone call.

"We have a mission against the A.A.O.," I replied quietly.

He nodded. "I'll tell everyone."

I grabbed his hand and said, "Only the special ops members."

Natsume nodded and left the room.

I looked at Haru who was now sleeping. I picked him up and put him on my bed. The mission sounded simple enough but I could only say that until I knew how it was going to go.

**That's all for now; please review. At first this was supposed to be released on my birthday as a birthday present for you all but I didn't have time so here it is now.**


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